Power Rangers: One Morph
by Heart of the dagger
Summary: Lord Zedd is back and hell-bent on getting his revenge! Can a rag-tag team of rangers stop him once and for all? Find out right now in Power Rangers: One Morph!
1. Chapter 1: Return of Lord Zedd

**Power Rangers: One Morph**

Part 1

Chapter 1: Return of Lord Zedd

The desert. A hot forbidding environment. Constantly under the unwavering gaze of the baking sun. What makes a person go out into the desert? A sense of exploration? A spiritual journey? The need to be alone? What about...a crystal? Recently, rumors of a very rare, very valuable crystal have surfaced, drawing every archaeologist trying to advance his or her own career. But no luck. After days and days of unending digging, nothing turned up. Not a clue. Not a shred of evidence that anything was hidden beneath the sand, let alone a crystal. Everyone headed back, except for the few remaining. The foolish, the ignorant, the stubborn, the foolhardy. The few stragglers left stay in the hope that it won't be for nothing. As the sun goes down, signaling the end of another unsuccessful day, the sounds of work die down, as everyone retreats to their RVs and tents. Except for one man. A man that has been out working 12 hours everyday since the rumor started. Soon his shovel is the only one making scraping sounds against the dirt. Sweat has soaked his shirt, the sign of the tireless. Just as he decides to pack it in for the day, a chill flies through his spine like lightning. His shovel has struck something hard! Is it another false alarm? Lord knows he's dug up enough rocks over the past couple months. No! Not this time! On his hands and knees frantically pawing at the dirt, he uncovers a wooden box in near pristine condition. With his eyes wide with wonder, he lifts the box out of the ground and gazes at it. He can feel an energy emanating from the chest travel up his arms, and tickle his brain. Snapping back to reality, he puts the chest under his arm, and makes for his jeep. Kicking up dirt, the jeep speeds across the open desert, like a demon possessed.

Downtown Angel Grove. After Hollywood, and Los Angeles, its one of the crown jewels of the west coast. With its gleaming skyscrapers, access to the beach, and the beautiful Angel Park, the city was named one of America's most livable cities 10 years in a row. It even became the merging leader of the Green Movement on the west coast. But it wasn't always this way. 5 years of constant monster attacks drove most of the population away. The city was almost turned into a ghost town. The existence of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa was reduced to internet rumor the government of the United States. No one doubted the existence of the Power Rangers. Costumed super heroes that could summon giant machines to fight off the monsters. The identities of the Rangers was always a mystery. Guesses ran the gamut from space aliens to average everyday people to high school students. Even after the Space Rangers revealed themselves to the world, the identities of the Rangers largely remained a mystery. The Gym and Juice Bar was rumored to be a local hang-out for the Rangers, whoever they were. The Juice Bar has seen a few changes in management. From Ernie, the founder, recently deceased, to retired policeman and detective Jerome Stone. Despite the changes, and the years, its building is still the same. The arcade machines, neon lighting, and bright paint. Even the various weight machines were originals, showing no signs of wear. But today, no one was using the machines. No one was playing the arcade games. Everyone was concentrating on the final match of a karate tournament. Long time citizen of Angel Grove, and archaeologist, Thomas Oliver was squaring off with a younger man, Mack Hartford. Mack was considered to be one of the best explorers in the world. If the stories are to be believed, he recovered five very important and valuable gems. What they were, or what they were for, no one from Overdrive was saying. The internet proclaimed the forces of evil wanted them, but no evidence was found. Tommy founded this tournament in an effort to raise money for cancer research. It was cancer that had claimed his friend's life some 15 years ago. Trini Kwan could always be counted on when the chips were down. With one of her trademark smiles and constant encouragement, she could turn a bad day around, no matter what. In the final match, Tommy and Mack were tied 2-2. The next victory would mean the winner would go home with the coveted Angel Grove Fight For The Cure trophy, and a $50,000 donation for the cause. Both fighters have retreated to their own corners for a breather before the final bout to knock the other guy out.

"You're slowing down, old man, maybe it's time you retired before you get hurt!" Mack quips. He knows Tommy's history. Longest serving Power Ranger in history. Once a Green, white, black ranger and twice red. His is the story of falling, redemption, friendship, love, and sacrifice. Mack has nothing but respect for the man, who set the bar for others to follow.

"I've been going easy on you! You haven't seen anything yet!" Tommy was impressed with the young man's abilities. If this was any indication, he has a long and bright future as a Ranger in front of him.

"Alright, gentlemen, to the center!" The referee instructs. The two combatants bow to each other. The bell rings. The warriors exchange blows in a fast and furious effort. Feet and hands are mere blurs as they cut the air faster than human human reflexes should allow. Attack, counter-attack, attack again. The rhythm of the match takes on that a well choreographed dance. Several near falls leave the crowd breathless as the 2 fighters look for weaknesses in each other's impenetrable defenses. Tommy with his years of experience, and custom fighting style versus Mack's youth and vigor. There's a break in the action as the two of them spin away from each other for a breather. With their outfits soaked with sweat, they evaluate what just happens. The crowd goes wild as their expectations for this match were easily exceeded. The bookies working the crowd are swamped by those looking to make a quick buck from a charity tournament. The peace is broken again, as the Rangers go at it one more time. There's a lot of pride on the line, and no one wants to go back to the locker room as the loser. Minuted later, Mack slips, and gets thrown to the mat by the veteran. The crowd erupts.

"POINT!" The ref declares. The crowd blows the roof off the place with their wild screaming. This is match up that would never happen again, and something they would tell their grandchildren about. Tommy picks Mack off the mat and holds his hand up. The people applaud the sheer effort put forth by both men. A man hands Tommy a giant check, while cameras and flash bulbs go off. In the locker room, Tommy gathers his things and prepares to leave, but is stopped by Mack.

"Good match, Tommy." Mack extends his hand in a sign of respect. Tommy takes it, and they shake.

"You too. I haven't had competition like that in a long time."

They leave and start walking through downtown. The sun is high, the sky is blue, and everything is alright. As they walk, random people from the street run up to Tommy and gush about how big a fan they are, how exciting the match was, and so on. Mack pretends not to notice. His disappointment hides beneath the surface. Feelings of jealousy and anger rise up, but Mack swallows his pride. After an impromptu autograph signing they start walking again.

"Can you teach me that?"

"Teach you what?"

"Whatever you did that let you beat me."

"To be honest, I didn't do anything. You just became tired, and slipped up. Next time, don't let it happen."

"Now wait a minute-"

"Mack, I'm just kidding! Come on!''

They share a laugh as random passers-by give them strange looks. They regain their composure, the start walking again. It's another beautiful day in Angel Grove. The breeze is blowing, he sun is shining, and the people are friendly. They come to the outskirts of downtown, which borders the foothills. Tommy looks upon the hills and remembers.

"Do you have to get back right away?"

"No. What's up?"

"I know a place we can go, besides I want to show you something."

They slowly, methodically make their way up the old paths, to a certain plateau. A plateau that has been abandoned for the better part of 15 years. No one but a select few has ever been up here. Even more didn't know it existed. Soon enough, though, the world would know.

A secluded forest. A forest containing unbelievable power. A perfect place for an ancient healing temple. An enclave for the wise, and those seeking knowledge. A place for the powerful. Such is the dwelling of Daggeron, the Solaris Knight. Arguably, the most powerful of the Mystic Rangers, he meditates under an ice cold waterfall. He always said that the focus gave his powers a permanent boost. But lately, he seems to have trouble maintaining his meditative state. Maybe today would bring an end to it. He strips to his underclothes and sits under the chilly waterfall. After a few minutes of various relaxation and deep breathing exercises, he falls into a deep trance. Deeper, deeper, deeper still. Soon, the feeling of free floating pervades. That was new, and a little unusual. In a vision, he finds himself standing on the moon. A pair of astronauts remove the lid to a short, wide, bronze cylinder. After a loud rumbling and a quake, a huge, black, forbidding spire rises into the sky. Daggeron stares in horror as the sky turns black, and lightning streaks across the sky. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and breathing interrupts his revelry. Turning, he stares right into the face of pure evil. Embodied in the form of a 7 foot tall, muscle bound freak, with a chrome skeleton protruding out all over the place.

"No...it can't be!"

"Oh, but it is, my old friend!''

Snapping back to reality, Daggeron wakes to see that he's all alone in the forest, under the waterfall. Various species of birds cry out and flee from the safety of the trees. In a panic, Daggeron collects his clothes and runs back to his temple. He quickly throws on some dry clothes. He quickly locates a small chest and opens it. Contained within is his Solar Cell morpher and a stack of cards. Stuffing them into his pockets, he teleports away, leaving the quiet of the forest behind.

Back on the plateau, Tommy and Mack explore the empty space. They spend most of the time enjoying the view of downtown. They're taking a break from practicing.

"So, it was right here? Me and my dad spent untold hours and days researching it, but we never came across anything conclusive."

"A lot of history right here, Mack. I remember there used to be a, uh...an underground area right around here. That's how they blew it up the first time, you know. Goldar and Rito managed to infiltrate the basement and planted a charge. We almost didn't make it out alive. How the Zeo crystal survived, I'll never know. Thank God it did, or we really would've been up creek."

"What was it like? Being one of the originals?"

"Can't tell you how many times I've been asked that. Being the Green Ranger wasn't a choice. It was forced on me. But afterwards...when I became a force for good, everyday was a choice. Everyday, I had to get up and choose to be the Power Ranger, considering the sacrifices I had made. I could've left at anytime. Especially when I lost my powers. I leave, and return to having a normal life. But by then, the idea of a normal life, was a completely foreign concept to me. There was no way I was going to be able to stand aside, watch all the evil, going on and not do anything about it. Morally, I had a responsibility to the people of Angel Grove, and that is a responsibility I gladly took on. But eventually, I just got run down and burnout had set in. So when the opportunity to pass the torch came along, I took it. I have not regretted one decision I ever made as a Ranger. I think that's how I got where I am today."

"Bu there was the time you were the Black Ranger. That had to have been unique."

"Yeah, the last blast. That ride was fun while it lasted. It brought back a lot of great memories for me. Looks like it's getting dark, we better get going."

In the fading light, they carefully make their way back down through the hills. In the still of the night, no one was stirring. Except one man. The digger. On this night, he is having trouble sleeping. Tossing and turning, disturbing dreams. He startles awake. Beads of cold sweat coat his hair and back. He sits up in bed and looks around nervously. On his dresser, an object is wrapped in a black cloth. The man stares at it, like he's never seen it before. Slowly, carefully, he gets out of bed, and approaches it.

"I just need to see it...just one more time!"

With a sense of reverence, he removes the cloth, unveiling the crystal. It's normally black surface now has a mysterious, ethereal glow emanating from its murky depths. The man slowly turns it over in his hands. Steadily the glow becomes brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it fills the room. The man tries to throw it away, but can't. It's stuck to his hands. He throws himself to the floor in a vain attempt to rid himself of the object that is searing his hands and mind. But as soon as it starts, its over. He stands up, but not in his bedroom. He's in the middle of a dark space. While looking around for a way out, the sound of heavy footsteps, and menacing breathing echoes. The man tries to run, but finds he's up against a wall. With no where to go, he presses himself against the wall. Out of the shadows, the 7 foot evil figure emerges.

"Who are you?" The man screams, out of fear, rather than anger.

"It hasn't been that long. You know who I am."

"What do you want? Where am I? What am I doing here?"

"You know where you are. Look around!"

The man looks around and sees that they're on top of a tall spire on the moon. A lifetime of memories comes back to him. Memories of galactic conquest, power, ambition, fear, intimidation, and ultimately, defeat.

"Yes...now you remember. Don't you?"

"No, that's not true! That's impossible!"

"Face the truth, you know it is true!"

"That's not me, that's not who I am! I am nothing like you!"

"Do you remember what happened? At the end of all things, when it seemed victory was within our grasp?"

The man takes a deep breath and relaxes. He looks around and collects himself. He remembers back to the day when evil had the galaxy by the throat. 4 huge armies taking on the forces of good across dozens of worlds. Just when it seemed that a final victory was near, Zordon sacrificed himself to rid the galaxy of all the known evil. Lord Zedd, Rita Repulsa, Divatox were turned good by the shockwave, and the Machine Empire was left in shambles.

"I remember. It burns inside my mind the way we suffered that defeat."

"Don't worry. I have a plan, and fortunately for you, I have something for you to do."

"No. Whatever it is, I want none of it. I'm not like you. Not anymore."

"That's where you are wrong. You will serve me, whether you like it or not."

"Over my dead body."

"That could be arranged. But I have use of you."

The menacing figure steps towards the man. In one swift move, the figure jams his hand into the man's chest. Pain, agony, and despair fill the man. Screaming in sheer pain, the figure slowly puts his arm into the man's body. Then his entire figure has disappeared into the man. Twisting, warping, bones cracking and reshaping themselves. The man grows to 7 feet. His skin melts, revealing a very muscled build. Chrome protrudes through his muscles, framing his new figure. The screaming stops, and the figure rises to his new height.

"It begins..."

He disappears in a giant fireball. In the man's bedroom, there's thunder, lightning, and a whirlwind of fire, and everything burns. One of the worst events in Angel Grove has happened. In 15 years, nothing of this magnitude could've been seen by anyone. One of the greatest evils to ever walk the Earth has come. The return of Lord Zedd.

Deep in the mountains, is a secret academy where the next generations of defenders of the Earth are trained. A secret academy where ninjas are trained to be the best they can be. For a particular class, veteran Ninja Blake Bradley trains them. After a career as the Navy Blue Thunder Ranger, he tried his hand as a motocross biker. Unfortunately, a tragic accident cut that short. He tried to do a quadruple back flip off a big ramp. Fortunately, a broken collarbone, leg, and a minor concussion was all he got for his troubles. So when the opportunity for teaching came up, he didn't even think twice. So far, he had done a good job with the students. They liked him, and his reputation made him very popular. Trying to get into his classes was almost impossible. On this particular day, he was teaching them various forms of sword combat. Today was their drills, to measure how far they came. Blake walked through the rows of students, watching them go through their routines. When he takes his place at the font of the class, the students execute a flawless right face.

"So far so good. All of you have shown improvement over the past few weeks, and I'm proud of you. But there is still a lot of work to do before you can graduate. So for tomorrow, I want you to-"

Before he can continue, a flash of golden light and a crackle of lightning. Daggeron emerges from the light, and rushes towards Blake. He's still in a panic.

"Blake! Blake!"

"Daggeron? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you. It's an emergency!"

"Alright, hang on. Class dismissed!''

The students bow, then go their separate ways.

"What's the emergency, Daggeron?"

"He's back, Blake!"

" 'He' who?"

"HIM."

Blake is taken aback when he realizes who Daggeron was talking about. Blake remembered the tales of Lord Zedd. Zedd had command of the entire galaxy. A ruthless leader, with a quick temper, he would subjugate, or kill, anyone who would stand in his way. The only force he could not contend with was the Power Rangers. Despite having an entire arsenal of power, armies, and monsters at his command, a group of 6 individuals manged to beat back his assaults time and time again.

"I would like to help you, but I can't. If I get injured one more time, that's it for me. I won't be of use to anyone. I won't even be able to teach."

"Who am I supposed to get, Blake? Only the two of us knows what needs to be done. I need you. They will need you."

"Daggeron, I don't know..."

"To sit back and let Zedd destroy the world is just as bad as helping him. You need to stand with us, or you too will be destroyed."

"Alright. What do we need to do?"

"I've maintained contact with some Power Rangers. We need to go find them. We gather as many as we can in 2 days. On the third, we prepare for war."

Alarms blare throughout the Space Patrol Delta's headquarters. Tech people frantically run around trying to get a handle on the situation. SPD supreme commander Anubis Cruger casually strolls. Alarms randomly going off is not unusual. When in charge of a galactic police force, -not- having an alarm go off would be unusual. Cruger moves among the various banks of computers seeing what exactly is wrong. Not seeing anything, frustration slowly sets in. None of the patrols were reporting disturbances, and the base wasn't under attack. What was it?

He walks over to to an intense looking sergeant.

"What it is, Rollins? What is causing this disturbance?"

"Sir, the year 2009! Lord Zedd has returned!"

"Are you sure? He's been dead for almost 30 years!"

"I don't know what to tell you sir. So far, there's no other explanation."

"Alright. Recall all the SPD Ranger at once. We'll need to deal with this right away."

"Impossible sir. All of them are engaged. The only one available is Nova."

"Fine. Get her back here."

"Yes, sir, right away!"

Oddly enough, the Nova ranger had returned from the year 2040, offering her assistance for any emergency that came up. Her timing was more than a little odd. During the few days she was here, she hardly interacted with the others and said next to nothing. Every time somebody saw her, she always looked nervous. Whenever she did talk, it was always about "something bad was going to happen". Maybe her suspicions were correct. Hoping against hope, Anubis hoped she was wrong. The last thing he needed to deal with was the return of the most evil thing to ever walk on two legs.

From his tall castle, Zedd could stand on the balcony, and take in all the Earth. In his hands, he slowly turns the crystal over and over, wondering what to do with it. The only thing he manged to do with it was find his old servant, Finster. After bringing him out of the crystal, with much adoration from the mutated Scottish Terrier, Zedd put him to work, building machines to fill out his army. But what to do with the crystal? It seemed that it was indestructible. He knew he couldn't hold onto it. To do so would be folly, because there was a chance it could be used against him.

"Oh, Zordon you were wise to make the Time Crystal indestructible. But you didn't count on it falling into the wrong hands did you? No, of course not. Soon events will happen that will make your life, and eventual death, unnecessary. Very soon, I will return to my throne, and you and those punks will not be able to stop me."

He winds up, and hurls the crystal towards the Earth. Reentry ensues, as the crystal begins to slowly break up. The crystal streaks over Turtle Cove, CA. Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Alyssa Enrile, sees the crystal. With a strange sens of dread, she immediately pulls out her phone, and dials a number.

"Hi, yeah, did you see it?...Yeah, it just flew right over here...Operation? What opera-...Oh, I see. Alright, I'm on my way."

She bags up her stuff, and rushes to her car.

On Angel Grove highway, Blake is barely going the speed limit. Daggeron hangs up his Cell Morpher, and puts it back into his pocket. So far so good. His plans were falling into place.

"Who was that?"

"White Wild Force Ranger, Alyssa. The only other Ranger to live around here."

"What's Operation Galactic Relocation?"

"When his war with Rita came to an end, Zordon had in place a plan that if such an evil threatened the galaxy, all available Rangers would fall back to Earth and wage war to end the evil before any real damage could be done. Zordon put me in charge of executing it, should I ever see a need for it."

"How many Ranger will fly to our rescue?"

"Interesting choice of words, Blake. To be honest I don't know. With Zedd being gone all this time, it would seem the galaxy has become...lax. Odds are, he'll seize upon this, and press the advantage wherever possible. Rangers will be needed everywhere. Not just here."

"What can I do?"

"When we get into town, make contact with a Ranger named Thomas Oliver."

"Tommy Oliver? He's a legend..."

"Yes he is. I'm placing him in charge, so listen to him. He gone toe to toe against Zedd before. He'll know what to do."

"I will. What will you do?"

"Continue the operation, of course. My next stop...space."

They look up in time and see the crystal fly overhead. Daggeron engages his morpher, and teleports away in a bright flash of light. On the empty plateau, Tommy and Mack practice some more karate forms and moves. Everything is still. But all of a sudden, a sonic boom echoes throughout the air. Tommy and Mack look up, and see crystal barreling right at them.

"Look out!'' Tommy grabs Mack, and they barely make it out of the way as the crystal makes landfall. A large explosion, and cloud of dust erupt from the plateau. The people of Angel Grove gather around the foothills, and gaze in curiosity. Amateur cameramen film the phenomenon, some providing their own commentaries. The dust settles, revealing a relatively small crater. Tommy and Mack crawl out from under the dust, and brush themselves off. The people down below notice them and a collective gasp of surprise escapes. Mack walks over to the crater and sees shards from the crystal. He touches, but jerks his hand away.

"Is it hot?

"No, it's cold. Here."

Mack hands Tommy a piece. He almost drops the freezing shard. He closely inspects it.

"What is it? A meteor?"

"No, Tommy. Meteors typically aren't made of glass. Or in this case, crystal. There's no way it should have survived reentry."

As Tommy inspects the other pieces, they start to glow slightly. Running footsteps are heard coming up to the plateau. Tommy and Mack quickly gather the shards and make their escape.

They take a secret path down the hills, and head into the back alleys of the city.

"We need a place to stash this!" Mack suggests.

"I know a place. Follow me!"

They change direction, and head for the seaside warehouse district. Walking among the identical buildings, Tommy earnestly searches for the right one.

"I remember being here before..."

"You were? When?"

"Couple years ago. Adam brought us here. Looking for Alpha 5."

"He did say something about that when I talked to him about it. Sorry I missed that party. Here."

They stop at building PR117. Tommy reached into his bag, and pulls out a ring of keys. Going one by one, he comes to a long, gold key. With confidence, he carefully inserts it into the lock. The tumblers click into place. The lock turns, and the sheet metal door flies up. Inside are boxes, and crates stacked on top of crates. All of them have mysterious labels. "Parts. Supplies. Computers. Globe."

"What is all this?"

"After the Divatox destroyed the Power Chamber, and the fight was taken to space, a few of the other Rangers and I came back, and tried to salvage what we could. We found a lot more then we thought we would. So we stashed it here."

Tommy pulls back the lid on one of the crates, and goes to deposit the satchel containing the shards. Before he can do anything, there's a big, bright flash of light from outside, and the lights flicker. The sounds of a ship passing overhead shakes the building and dust flies. Everything goes quiet. Tommy and Mack peel themselves off the floor.

"What was that?"

"Maybe it was another meteor."

They carefully make their way outside. Filling their vision, is a futuristic looking ship. It's engines are off, yet still give off smoke. Sounds of the ship powering down echo off the surrounding buildings. Rapid fire popping, and the whoosh of a lowering ramp emit from the ship. Out of it walks a young man dressed as a military commander. TIME FORCE! Tommy and Mack greet the man.

"Eric. Long time no see."

"It's good to see you Tommy. It has been a while. Who's this?"

"I'm Mack Hartford. Red Overdrive Ranger."

"Ah, another Red Ranger. We could've used you a few years ago."

"So I hear."

"Anyway, I don't have long. Tommy, let me have the Time Crystal."

"The what?"

"The crystal. I saw it was broken, so I came to fix it."

"I see. Come on, I just put it away."

The trio enters the warehouse yet again. Tommy opens the crate that the satchel was in. He goes to pull it out...but its not there. It was gone! But no clues as to where it went. Panicked, Tommy and Mack quickly look around."

"I don't get it! It was right here! Where could it have gone!"

"Are you sure you put it in that one? Maybe it one of the others-"

"No, Eric, it was this one, I saw him put it in there!"

Before any serious search can be started, a loud clattering is heard, and a few items fall over. A sense of dread comes over the complex. The three Rangers spread out and slowly advance on the disturbance. With the dexterity of a cat, Eric slowly unstraps his pistol, and wields it. He sweeps it back and forth, wary of his surroundings. Tommy finds a metal rod, and Mack a shovel. Together they search high and low, making sure the culprit doesn't escape. In a dramatic fashion, Mack jumps from behind corners, trying to surprise someone. Tommy and Eric shake their heads and try not to laugh. Sounds of metallic footsteps bounce off the walls. The three take notice and double their efforts. Eric comes around and corners the would be thief, holding the bag.

"Gotcha!"

"Please don't shoot! I was trying to help!"

The other 2 Rangers come over and finally exhale. A look of sheer surprise comes over their faces. Of all the people in the universe...

"I thought I recognized that voice."

"Ay-yi-yi-yi! Tommy! So good to see you again! It's been so long!"

Completely mesmerized, Eric steps forward and stares right into Alpha's 'visor'.

"A 21st century, fully sentient, multi-functional automaton. I've never seen anything like it!"

"Alpha? What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"Your dad and I followed the crystal as it fell through the atmosphere. After we concluded that it landed, I teleported here to recover it."

"That's why I'm here. I have a machine on my ship that can fix it."

Eric walks back to his ship. He comes back with a box labeled "Delicate". Setting the bag aside, Eric pulls off the lid, revealing an active machine. As the Rangers look on in amazement, he puts the shards in the machine, one at a time. The machine goes on. Whirring and grinding ensue. A small whirlwind encompasses the box. Crates, boxes, and various items fall over. After a few minutes, everything calms down. Eric opens the machine and pulls out the newly reformed crystal.

"Here you go, Tommy! Good as new!"

"That is amazing."

"That's what I would've done. Well, since I'm not needed, I have to get back. Command seems to suffer when I'm not around."

"Stay with us. We could use you."

"Sorry Tommy, but I have an international army to look after. But I'll be back if I'm needed. Count on it."

Handshakes go around. Eric boards the Time Ship. The engines click on, and charge up. In a few seconds, the ship takes off for the year 3000. The remaining two Rangers look down at the Crystal in Alpha's hands. It still emits its trademark glow. Alpha has a device strapped to his back. It resembles a large ray gun.

"What's that for?"

"You'll see Tommy. You'll see. We need to get to the plateau. We don't have much time!"

But before they can leave, a blue jeep pulls up in front of them. Blake jumps out and approaches the group. He warily approaches the Rangers and, what appears to be, a heavily armed droid hugging a crystal. If he had a camera...

"Which one of you is Thomas Oliver?"

In the main chamber of Zedd's palace, Finster shows him a very complex blueprint. Laid out in explicit detail, is a large circular complex, with ringed walls surrounding a rectangular building; like a target. Large turrets, spaced every 20 feet, and a giant satellite dish are the only distinguished features. Guard posts surround the complex. Four large gates are the only way in or out. The entire structure is made out of metal, and brick and mortar.

"You better not be wasting my time, slave! I have an army to raise!"

"Yes, your evilness. Here it is: the project I've been working on!"

"Hmm...your morph blocking machine. Does it work?"

"Well, only in theory. Keeping in mind it hasn't been built."

"I'm aware. Fine. How does it work?"

"Once it's been powered up, it fires a pulse deep into space, completely cutting off all Rangers' ability to morph for 24 hours."

"How big is the blast radius?"

"25,000 lightyears, master."

"I like what I hear, Finster. OK. Take some quantrons and get it built. You can use anything at your disposal."

"Right away, sir, thank you!"

Daggeron is on the Astro Megaship. Gathered around are the Galaxy and Space Rangers. They listen intently as he dramatically tells the tale of how he found out Zedd came back form the dead. A few of the Rangers listen intently. A few seem to be genuinely nervous. Andros, on the other hand, stands against a wall, arms crossed, not listening. Or caring. The self proclaimed leader of the group, he is the longest serving Power Ranger out of all the ones gathered. Whether or not that fight is up to him. After Daggeron finishes the story, an uneasy quietness settles over the room.

"Well? Any volunteers?"

"No."

Andros says with finality as he crosses the room.

"Listen to yourself: The return of Lord Zedd? We were all there. Most of us witnessed it. He was killed that day."

"Do you not here yourself Andros? HE'S. BACK."

"IF that were so, what proof do you have? All we have is your word. Besides, why now? After almost 20 years?"

"Because of attitudes like that. Complacency, Andros. People have gotten lazy. They forget the terror caused by Zedd. The destruction, the loss of lives. The shock has finally wore off. And it doesn't help that Earth is largely undefended."

"What are we supposed to do then? Go on a galactic manhunt? Find Zedd and kill him before he does the same to us? Oh, here's an idea: declare galactic martial law! Anyone steps out of line, BAM!"

Andros sits heavily in a chair. All eyes are on the two men, and the situation turn palpable. It would seem opinion was divided pretty evenly. Either try to hunt down Zedd, and stop him, or run the risk of revealing himself, then acting. Before another argument can break out, Daggeron approaches Andros, and stands over him. Andros stares at the table, and doesn't move.

"Its attitudes like yours, Andros, that will help Zedd win this war."

"What would you have me do?"

"Let me have two of your Rangers. That's all I'm asking."

"Alright."

"Thank you Andros. Like I said before: Any volunteers?"

Corinth. A domed city in the middle of an inhospitable wasteland. The war with Venjix was brief and devastating. When Venjix was released, he resurrected the Machine Empire, and went on a world wide rampage. Killing everything in sight, the war was short and extremely brutal. Corinth became the only refuge, housing the remnants of the human race. Little did everyone know, was that Venjix had hybrids infiltrate the city. Hybrids, human in disguise, machine in nature. Pushed to his limits, Venjix activated the hybrids and ordered them to go on a rampage within the city. Fortunately the RPM Power Rangers held the line, and managed to destroy Venjix and the Machine Empire once again. Damage from the war was still visible, even after weeks of the attack. The Rangers had taken an active role in the rebuilding. Except Dillon. Ever since he had found out he was a pawn in Venjix's game, he had grown despondent. Despite wearing the uniform, he had always considered himself an outsider. Finding out his sister was a general in the opposing army didn't help matter much. He had managed to save her, but just barely. She finally found the truth right before the end. Ultimately, it was her that was responsible for dismantling the Venjix network. Still not quite over the shock of having all these revelations, Dillon spent most of his time alone. Often, he would be found in the garage, working on his car. For some reason, it brought him a piece of mind like nothing else could. Alone with his thoughts, he might be able to make sense of the events he thought was his life. That was true until he got a visit from a strange visitor. In the garage, a silver light flashed. Confused, Dillon came out from under his car, and looked around. A pinprick of silver light hung in the air. Slowly it grew and grew, filling the space with light. Blinded, Dillon tries to protect himself from the searing light. Amazingly, out of the light, walks a young woman, with flowing black hair, and shining silver eyes. The light has now disappeared.

"Who are you?"

"You first. Are you Dillon?"

"Who wants to know?"

"You're not going to make this easy are you?"

"No. Who are you?"

"Nova Ranger. SPD Ranger."

"SPD. I've heard of you. Space Patrol Delta."

"You've heard of us?"

"Good job on being here when it counted."

"We couldn't have known."

"That maybe true. But always knew where I was. Everywhere I went, you were one step behind. Tell me, Nova, if that is your real name, when you had the chance, why didn't you pull the trigger all those years ago? You had me cornered. You could've stopped me. But you didn't. Why?"

"Because nothing would've been gained. And apparently a lot would've been lost. Look at you: You're a Power Ranger. You save people. They would've died to, if I captured or, Zordon forbid, killed you. Understand what I'm saying to you Dillon? By the way, it's time you returned the favor."

"What are you talking about?"

"21st century Earth is about to be under attack from the greatest evil to ever exist: Lord Zedd."

"And? Why should I care? It doesn't concern me."

ONE OF US!

"It does concern you. If Zedd sacks Earth, the very world you live in will disappear. He will set up a never ending empire. You will cease to exist!"

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I didn't choose this. I didn't choose to be a cyborg. I didn't choose to be a Power Ranger! If I didn't, they would've executed me for having Venjix hardware in me!"

"Exactly."

"Wait, what?"

"That's why I let you go. During our standoff, I could see you were destined for doing great things. Glad to see I was right."

The grand scheme of things finally sinks in. Call it fate, destiny, God, whatever, something had chosen him to be the Black Ranger. After leading a criminal life, for which multiple death sentences would have been in order, he was given a new lease on life. Saving people had become routine. Another item on his check off list. Finding out about his past was more important. Having access to Ranger powers had been a big help. He found her, found out about his past, and he didn't like what he saw there. Facing his ugly past had also become routine. Having a fresh perspective hadn't occurred to him before, now he was relishing in it.

"A deal I pose to you, Nova."

"OK. What?"

"I help you. You erase my criminal record."

"Dillon, I don't know..."

"You want my help? You'll do it."

"Fine. Can we go now?"

"Let's do this."

The silver light appears again. It fills the garage. They step into it and disappear.

On the plateau, Alpha and the Rangers stand in a circle. Alpha has a death grip on the crystal. Despite it being noon, the crystal's glow is still visible. By some strange power, the crystal's jagged edges have rounded out. Today seems a little warmer than usual. The sun is riding high, and beating the Earth with its harsh temperatures. More than once do the Rangers have to wipe their foreheads. Eventually, Tommy takes out a bandanna and ties it around his head. Mack does the same. It looked like a record high for Angel Grove.

"All right, Alpha. Why are we here?"

"Surely you remember what was here Tommy."

"Yeah, the Command Center. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything Tommy. Did you know there's a way to bring back Zordon?"

"What?"

"Oh yes, Tommy?"

"Bring Zordon back...from the dead? How?"

"With this crystal we can bring Zordon back. Here-"

Out of the blue, Alpha tosses the crystal to Tommy. He catches it. Instantly, the glow intensifies, and the crystal burns bright with what appears to be flames. It sticks to Tommy's hands as he thrashes around on the plateau, and screaming in pain. Mack rushes over to try and wrestle the crystal from Tommy, but he gets blasted back by the crystal. While thrashing around, Tommy feels his mind and spirit being torn from his body. For a moment, he feels like free floating. Soon, he's surrounded by utter darkness. Spinning around, and nearly panicking, he looks around for any clue as to where he is. Finding none, he sets off in a random direction. Back on the plateau, Mack stands over Tommy's catatonic body.

"What happened to him Alpha? Where is he?"

"Inside the crystal. If he can find Zordon, then everything will be alright."

Back inside the crystal, Tommy finds himself walking down what seems to be a hallway. On either side, memories of his past life move past him. His battles as the Green Ranger: destroying the command center, defeating the Power Rangers, and sabotaging the megazord. His redemption. Beating back the forces of evil time and time again. Waging a last stand even as his powers were fading away. Returning as the White Ranger, leading the new Rangers in a successful campaign against Zedd. Surviving the destruction of the Thunder Megazord, and the loss of everyone's powers, seemingly for good. Having bestowed upon him the Ninja Ranger powers. Events surrounding his, and everyone's, de-ageing. Meeting Rangers from another planet. Acquiring the Zeo, and eventually, Turbo powers. Deciding that enough was enough, passing the torch to a new generation of Rangers. Year later, as California found itself under attack, becoming the Black Ranger. Wanting a normal life, he decided to retire for good, leaving the life of a Ranger behind. Slowly, he finds himself surrounded by still images from his memories. All of a sudden, all his past incarnations come out of the memories, and slowly surround him.

"Its him."

"Do we proceed?"

"Yes."

"He is only..."

"A Ranger."

"You have a choice to make Tommy."

"Join us."

"Become one of us."

"You are one of us Tommy."

"You are one of us..."

"One of us..."

"One of us..."

"ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US!"

In a flow blown panic, Tommy shoves his way past the ghost Rangers. Running, and eventually sprinting, his way through the darkness, lines of the Rangers have surrounded him still chanting. Plowing face first into a wall, Tommy gets thrown to the ground. Slowly turning around, all 5 past Rangers tower over him.

"One of us...One of us...One of us...One of us..."

On the plateau, the sun has started to go down. It still early afternoon, and Mack paces nervously. With the heat of the sun now gone, it turns chilly. The day has been rather strange today. Real hot to what now seems to be real cold. He turns and faces Alpha. The droid just stands there staring at the crystal. He keeps a silent vigil.

"Alpha?"

"What is it Mack?"

"Do we have much time left?"

"Not to worry Mack, we still have a few hours to go."

"What happens if he doesn't make it out?"

Tommy cautiously gets to his feet. The mysterious Rangers haven't given him any ground, and still crowd him.

"I'm not going to fight you. I've already beaten most of you. We're not doing this again."

"No we're not Tommy."

"You still don't understand."

"You are one of us."

"Even if you have turned your back on what you are."

"Even if you have turned your back on who you are."

"You are still a Ranger Tommy."

"Once A Ranger..."

"Always A Ranger."

"No. I'm not you! Not anymore! Leave me alone! Get away from me!"

"One of us. One of us. One of us."

Tommy closes his eyes, and puts his fists on either side of his head. He can hear the ghostly chant inside his head. As it threatens to split his head apart, he lashes out one more time.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! SHUT UP!"

When he opens his eyes, he's completely alone. Even the wall has disappeared. On the verge of a panic, he breathes rapidly, and looks around again.

"Tommy..."

"Who's there?"

"Tommy..."

"I'm here. Who are you?"

"Tommy!"

"ALRIGHT WHAT! WHO SAID THAT? WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT? SHOW YOURSELF!'

A blueish-white light appears behind him. Shielding his eyes, Tommy turns and looks. Out of the light, comes an old man wearing simple warrior garb.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"It's good to see you again Tommy. It's been too long, and the years have been good to you it seems. I knew i made the right choice..."

Slowly it begins to dawn on Tommy. His expression softens, as it becomes clear that this is no man. But a legend.

"Zordon?"

"Yes Tommy, it is I."

"But you...you were destroyed! How is this possible?"

"I can assure you, that this is no trick. When I was killed, my spirit went on to live in all good people. Including you. Even though you have forgotten who you are."

"I haven't forgotten. It's not something I want anymore."

"Hmm. I see. Tell me: do you know where we are?"

"Inside a crystal?"

"Very good. Based on what you have seen, what can you ascertain about this crystal?"

"I don't know. I guess it has something to do with time."

"Close. Right now, we are interdimensional beings caught in a time warp. You see, back when I was at war with Rita, I came upon a group of 6 warriors on Earth. They had spectacular powers that they drew from a certain crystal. not only did it make them stronger, it gave them the ability to time travel. They were the original Time Force Rangers. After helping them fend off a particularly brutal siege, they gave me a piece of the crystal. The piece you are now in. I always thought that if something happened to me, I could use the crystal to bring myself back. So I hid it. In a place I thought no one would look for it. The desert. Unfortunately someone did find it."

"Zedd."

"Yes. Shortly after the conflict, Zedd had pursued me, always looking for my part of the crystal. After he was...done away with, I thought the crystal was safe. I was wrong. When it was in my possession, I had learned that pieces of the crystal slowly degrade over time. So I coated it with a special solution to protect it. Even to the point of re-entry it seems."

"How did Zedd get out of here?"

"Someone with a forceful enough personality can leave at anytime. Zedd found his human self. So using his influence, he made that archaeologist dig up the crystal. The rest is history."

"Alright. So your war is still going on, it seems. How do we get you out of here?"

"Under normal circumstances, I would need someone to help bring me out. In this case you. But, before we go, you have a choice to make."

Green, white, red, and black lights shine behind Tommy. He turns and is surprised by the Rangers.

"We told you Tommy."

"You are one of us."

"Now choose."

The Rangers unstrap their Morphers. The suits disappear, revealing 5 younger Tommy's. They hand over their morphers. Tommy approaches the five and examines the morphers. Carefully, he extends his hand, taking one of the morphers. The Tommy's turn and walk away into the darkness. Tommy turns back to Zordon.

"They can't come with us?"

"No. Their time is past. Yours it about to begin."

A loud whining noise permeates the space. A blinding white light fills the space. Energy crackles over the two men, and everything explodes. Tommy wakes up on a hard metal table. Shivering, he tries to sit up, and almost fails. Ashley, a fellow Ranger runs to him. She helps him sit up, and wraps a blanket around him. He gratefully accepts it, and seems genuinely surprised that she's here. They share a brief smile. Tommy gets up and look around. Everywhere, memories come flooding back. Nostalgia thicker than glue. The terminals, the viewing globe, the tubes of glass housing the original Power Suits. A holographic map of Angel Grove hangs above the floor on one side. The Power Chamber has come back to Angel Grove. Alpha 5 goes from terminal to terminal, flipping switches, turning dials and pushing buttons. Alpha turns and sees his friend awake.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi! Tommy! You're back!"

"Hey Alpha. When did this happen?"

"As soon as you got back. It just appeared out of nowhere."

"Like out of a time warp..."

Ashley was a relative new comer to Angel Grove when she was chosen to be a Power Ranger. Coming off a failed string of independent movies, and two failed TV pilots, she left Hollywood to pursue a quite lifestyle. One day, she packed her bags, got in the car, and just drove. Eventually the road led to a suburb of Angel Grove. Finding a house to live in, settling down was easy. Finding a regular job at the Gym and Juice Bar, she finally found a place she could call home. It seemed life was going to be easy. Until a chance encounter with the Turbo Power Rangers changed all that. Thrust onto the front lines of an interstellar war, she had little time to get adjusted. Chasing intergalactic pirate, Divatox, into Space was even harder. All she wanted a personal life, and what she got was the opposite. Always on the chase, resting was barely an option. Even after the war was over, she had gotten to adjusted to this life to go back. She continued to travel with the other Space and Galaxy Rangers, rooting out evil whenever and wherever it was. They were on a mission to stop a dangerous ring of Dark Spector worshipers. They were planning on a mass suicide to bring back their leader. That was until Daggeron arrived. After briefing them, he asked for two volunteers. Ashley and the blonde Galaxy Ranger, Karone, volunteered. After dropping them off, Andros and the others went to go prepare defenses on other worlds. Shortly after arriving, Nova and Dillon teleported in.

On the moon, Zedd paces back and forth, fuming. The Power Chamber being rebuilt was -not- in the plans. If the Chamber was back, then Zordon wouldn't be far behind. And that would mean more Rangers. Everything he had planned for would easily fall apart, if this went too far. He would have to accelerate his plans, and time was of the essence.

"FINSTER!"

"Yes, your evilness?"

"Is my army ready yet? I need to initiate a first strike soon."

"Yes, lord. They should be ready in a few hours."

"Excellent. Soon, those Rangers won't know what hit them.

Back in the Chamber, all the Rangers are present. Tommy, Ashley, Alyssa, Blake, Mack, Daggeron, Karone, Nova, and Dillon. introductions went around. All of a sudden, the lights start to flicker, and they go out. Even the emergency lights. The big glass tube at the front of the Chamber glows blue, and lightning flies from it, and bounces around in it. Thunder rumbles, and shakes the Chamber to its core. Not knowing what to do, the Rangers huddle together. Then, a giant floating head slowly lowers itself into the tube.

"Welcome, Rangers!"

Everyone stands in utter disbelief. Here he is. The originator of the Power Rangers. The one who successfully defeated Rita all those years ago. The original mentor to the Rangers, and the single source of hope to an entire galaxy. Zordon of Eltar has come back. Emotions ranging from disbelief to ecstasy wash over the Rangers. They all crowd forward, trying to express themselves. Zordon looks at them and smiles.

"Yes, it is good to see you to. It has been too long."

From his balcony, Zedd has been spying on the recent going-ons. He emits a low, guttural growl, that's more animal then man. His muscular body is pulsing a deep red, and the "Z" on his crown gives off a faint static charge.

"So that boob of a leader has returned as well. Little does he know who he's messing with. Finster, is the holographic interface ready? It's time to begin."

"Yes, master. All ready."

As the reunion in the Chamber dies down, the old alarm starts blaring. The map turns upright, showing a bright red blip. The viewing globe zooms in on the warehouse district. The Ranger stare in confusion.

"I don't get it. There's nothing there."

"Could be a false alarm."

"Let's not take nay chances. Mack, you and Dillon go investigate. If you find anything, let us know immediately."

"Alright, Tommy. We will."

Good luck, and may the protect you."

"Thanks Z."

They teleport out, leaving the other Rangers alone. They arrive right outside the warehouse. They look around, being sure to check out every nook and cranny. They meet up again.

"Find anything?

"No. You?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's go in."

Mack opens the door to the warehouse. Its filled with random boxes and crates. Oddly enough, its dark inside, despite the sun being able to shine through the windows. They carefully make their way through, making sure to watch their backs.

"I thought this looked familiar..."

"What do you mean?"

"Me and Tommy were here before, a couple days ago."

The sound of heavy footsteps interrupts the search. The Rangers turn and see nothing. The steps seem to be echoing off the walls, making point of emission difficult to determine. With a sense of fear pervading the atmosphere, they press on. After a while the steps stop, leaving the air still. Not even the dust seems to be settling. As they come to the last row of boxes, a huge menacing figure comes out in front of them.

"YOU!"

"You're a dead man!"

Dillon tries to tornado kick Zedd in the face, but falls right through and lands on his back. All he gets for his efforts is a long string of laughs from the devil himself. Dillon gets back up, and rejoins his friend.

"He's using a hologram."

"He must be close."

"I was wondering who Zordon would send to silence me. Ranger Black and Red Overdrive. I'm flattered."

"Come one out, so we can kill you."

"Ha ha. Get in line. Now listen to me. As I'm sure you are aware, I am prepared to launch an apocalyptic attack on the galaxy. My army numbers in the millions, and can easily be reinforced. Not to mention that with their sheer numbers, the overrun any pathetic defense brought before them."

"What is it you want?"

"I cannot lead this army on my own. I need someone to do it for me. And I've chosen you."

"We'll never join you!"

"Calm down, Ranger Black, hear me out before you do anything rash...again. As a Ranger, what is your first responsibility?"

"The protection of planet Earth."

"Ah, good. Here's what I'm proposing: Join me, lead my army, and I'll spare your pathetic planet."

"Why would we? Why us?"

"Mack, you can't be listening to this. Come on!"

"Hold on! Like I said, why us?"

"Because you two would feel right at home among my army. Face it: the two aren't even human. Red Ranger, you were a robot built by your father, yes? And Dillon, the Venjix virus has turned you into a cyborg."

"That's true but so what? That has nothing to do anything."

"It has everything to do with it! You only have emotional ties to humans because you are programmed to. And what about your respective pasts? Red Ranger, at a recent tournament, you lost to Tommy, did you not?"

"I did. But only because he's better than me."

"Not true. He's been retired for many years. You have the skills and abilities to beat him. You know you do, and i know you do. You have so much potential to be great. And Dillon, what about your past? Come with me, and I can make it go away. Permanently. Join me, the both of you, embrace who you are, become who you were made to be. Seize your destiny. I'll be back in 24 hours. Oh, and before I forget: get Tommy to come here with you."

And with that a projector falls to the floor, and fries itself. Mack and Dillon are in complete shock. This turn of events was unexpected, and leaves them completely drained.

"Could we do it Mack?"

"You mean, sacrifice trillions of lives for the sake of a few billion?"

"You know what I mean. OK, so we stay here and wage a last stand. What then? We would be fighting off unending waves of reinforcements. And you know what? Nothing will have changed. We will be killed, and the galaxy enslaved."

"Too bad we can't call on the other Rangers. They'll have their hands full."

"What do we do?"

"We have no choice."

They teleport back to power chamber, and update everyone on what happened. Fear and doubt spread throughout the room, as the implications of what transpired being to sink in. Zordon just flots in silence, and glares at Mack and Dillon.

"You told him "no" right?"

"Not yet. We have to go back tomorrow with our final decision."

"Fine. Maybe one of us should go with you?"

"Not necessary Tommy. We can handle ourselves."

It is now night. A few Rangers have decided to camp out in the power chamber. Only a few dim lights illuminate the interior. Zordon's energy tube is dark, and Alpha has holed up in his recharge bay. No one is stirring. The recent developments have left everyone exhausted. Except for Dillon. Silently, he sits up and looks around. Being a cyborg has allowed him to easily see in the dark. Softly, he gets up and walks over to where Mack is sleeping. He puts his hand over Mack's mouth. He tries to resist, but Dillon gives him a sign to stay silent. He then motions for Mack to follow him. They stealthily sneak out the back door.

"What's going on, Dillon? What's this about?"

"Zedd wants us to capture Tommy as proof of our loyalty, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Have you considered how? I have. We don't have a lot of time to pull this off."

"What's the plan?"

"Let's go."

Teleporting to the warehouse district, they come to the prearranged spot. Entering the even darker warehouse, they flick on a pair of flashlights hanging on the wall. Dillon moves from crate to crate, checking out labels, as Mack watches.

"What are you looking for?"

"One of these has flash-bang grenades in it. I had my dad send over a box of them, just in case."

Mack starts inspecting the labels to. He zeroes on one them having a suspicious label.

"I found it!"

They take the crate down, and pry off the lid. Sure enough, its full of the grenades, carefully packed.

"Now what do we do?"

For the next few hours, they place the grenades in strategic places, and wire them together so they go off at the same time. Attaching them to pillars, on walls, in corners, the trap slowly comes together. Afterward, they pile as many boxes and crates against the wall, to create an open space conducive for capture.

"Trap is set. Let's lure him in."

It is now early dawn. The sun is teasing the world with its appearance. For now it casts purple and orange colors everywhere, mimicking an artist masterpiece. The only sign of life is Tommy Oliver, doing laps around the neighborhood. Ever since Zedd came back, he has dedicated himself to getting back into better shape. Not that he needed to, but every little bit helps. The quiet morning, is still chilly, and Tommy is chasing the wind, as his breath leaves vanishing traces in the air. The only sounds are his feet pounding the pavement, and his heartbeat. Shattering the still silence, his communicator goes off.

"Tommy! Agh! Its Mack! We're at the warehouse district! Its an ambush! Quantrons are everywhere! Help!"

"Hang on, I'll be right there!"

Quickly looking around to make sure there's no one watching, Tommy disappears in a tube of green lightning. A second later, he arrives in the middle of the warehouses. He sees smoke pouring through an open door, belonging to an unusually dark warehouse. Carefully making his way inside, he makes sure he doesn't get ambushed. After getting inside, the door slams shut. An sense of malevolence settles over the building, as Tommy ventures inside.

"Mac? Dillon? Where are you? Sound off!"

His greetings are met with still silence. The high walls seem to close in around him. The urge to escape tickles at the back of his mind, but he shrugs it off. All of a sudden, a real sense of mortal danger hits him in the stomach. Spinning around, he spots metallic tubes strapped to the pillars. For now they, show a steady green light. Then they start blinking. Realizing the danger, he's in, he rushes for the door, but it doesn't budge. He even throws himself against it, but it's no good. The lights on the devices blink rapidly. Finding a window, Tommy tries to jump through it, but like the door, doesn't give. All the devices turn a bright red. Seeing doom getting ready to pounce, Tommy does his best to duck and cover. In a few seconds the building is rocked by loud explosions, and bright flashes of light. Smoke fills the interior. Its all over in a matter of seconds. Tommy gets up and staggers around, desperately looking for a way out. But, being unable to see, and with the harsh ringing in his ears, getting around is a little hard. Completely sapped, he collapses on the cold concrete floor. His vision clears just enough for him to see two sets of boots closing on him. Then he blacks out.


	2. Chapter 2: The Long Dark Begins

**Chapter 2:The Long Dark Begins**

It's still dark. Tommy fells like he's being dragged, but where or where to, he did not know. Slowly, painfully, he manages to open his eyes, but everything is blurry. Trying to look around, he can tell he's in a cell block. Cells line the walls on both sides. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see he's being dragged by Mack and Dillon, and up ahead, leading them is Lord Zedd. Thoughts of escape begin to creep in, but are quickly shut down. There's no way he would be able to escape. Especially if he didn't know where he was, or was he would go.

"Let's just be done with this. Let's throw him in with this lot..."

Tommy looks and sees a cell with 4 or 5 humans snapping at each other like wild dogs. Fear and dread fill his being, as they continue on.

"No. This one isn't to touched. I need him for my master plan."

"What plan? You still haven't told us."

"In time, my Rangers. Soon, everything will be made clear. Put him in here."

The Rangers toss Tommy into a single prisoner dungeon. Landing with a hard thud, he gets the wind knocked out of him. With impossible reflexes, he gets to his feet and rushes the door. But its closed on him before he can get out. Zedd just laughs at him. "You better save your strength, Green Ranger. You're going to need it!'' Zedd walks away, leaving the Rangers alone.

"You'll never get away with this!"

"We already we have. Now if you'll excuse us, we have a date with destiny."

Mack and Dillon arrive at the Power Chamber, looking exhausted, and their clothes disheveled. All the Rangers are there, as news of the ambush spread like wildfire. So far, it has managed to stay out of the media's spotlight.

"What happened exactly?"

"It was like this: When Zedd made contact, he gave me and Dillon 24 hours to make a final decision. So we went back to tell him 'No'. While we were there, a whole bunch of Quantrons came out of nowhere. They ambushed us, so I called Tommy for help. Little did we know it was a trap. After he showed up, a whole bunch of explosions went off, and he was taken by the Quantrons. They kidnapped him."

"Where did they take him?"

"No idea."

"Then we should go look for him."

"Alright, let's move out! Uh, Any idea where to get started? Angel Grove is almost as big as New York City!"

"I have a plan: Everyone takes a section of city, and starts looking for clues. Find something, report it in."

"An excellent idea, Nova. In the mean time, Alpha and I will keep scanning until we find something. Good luck and may the power protect you!"

The 6 remaining Rangers walk over to a supply shelf, and grab portable radar devices. They teleport out of the Chamber, leaving Zordon and Alpha alone, with the various beeping consoles for company. Alpha works the controls, firing up the powerful scanners. The holo-map of Angel Grove rights itself, as a radar HUD appears on it, slowly sweeping over the city.

"There. If anything pops up, we'll know about it."

"Good job Alpha."

"What's the matter Zordon? You look frustrated."

"Something doesn't seem right, Alpha."

"What part?"

"I don't know. Maybe its nothing."

Nova and Ashley walk through Angel Grove park. The instruments they carry emit rapid chirping sounds. In the park, life carries on as usual. Kids run and play, families have picnics. Games of tennis, basketball, and hockey. Other people splash around in the large pool. Deep in thought, Ashley turns off the device, and sits on a picnic table. She stares at the other citizens enjoying their lives. Up above, the sun shines, the breeze blows, and the air is alive with the song of birds in the branches overhead. The air against her face is faintly moist. The sun light travels from the top of her head, down through her neck and shoulders. The energy flows down her arms and out through her fingertips. Whirlpools of energy gather around her stomach, increasing her sense of self, and her influence in the galaxy. She takes slow deep breathes, and feels her muscles relax. Continuing on, Nova just now realizes that Ashley has decided to take a break. Peeved, she walks over to her.

"What do you think your doing? We need to keep going."

"Why are you here? Why decide to help us?"

"To save the future. If we fail, it will be the end of the Power Rangers. Why do you ask?"

"Look-"

All around, Nova sees people enjoying their lives. Under a large tree, a squeal of happiness is heard, as a man slips a ring onto his girlfriend's finger. Elsewhere, a father bottle feeds his infant daughter. A mother and her two children splash around in the pool. A freelance photographer takes pictures of the trees. A couple of old guys play chess. Bicyclers, rollerbladers, walkers, volleyball players, and the lone street performer with his violin. All around...life. Totally happy and free. Completely oblivious to the danger that's on their doorstep. Ashley looks around, taking in the moment.

"What you have to understand, Nova, is that this is what we're fighting for. These people. If my sacrifice could save just one of them, then it would have been worth it. It's not about us, the Rangers, or Zedd and all his bullshit. It's about protecting them. Keeping them safe from the...monsters in the closet, the boogeyman. Going to sleep at night, knowing the city will still be there tomorrow. Understand what I'm saying?"

"I get it. For you its about selflessly serving others. I understand."

Nova joins her on the table.

"I used to be like that. Criss-crossing the galaxy, stomping out crime whenever I could."

" 'Used to be'? What happened?"

"One day I woke up...and I just quit caring. It seemed that no matter how much I did, no matter how much time, effort, and energy I put into my work, it wasn't enough. It was never enough. So, I retired. I decided that if people want to do evil things to each other, let them. Only then will they learn."

"Why help us then?"

"If Zedd wins this war, and re-establishes his empire, then the future as we, or I, know it will be erased. Gone. Forever. Understand?"

"I see...your only fighting to ensure your own survival."

"Now you're getting it. Like I said, I used to be like you. Young, idealistic, full of good will. The wear and tear took care of that. Watch yourself: it'll happen to you."

"No it won't. I'm nothing like you."

"Hmm. Your feelings serve you well. Bury them way deep inside. You will need before this is over. Come. This city isn't getting any smaller."

Taking one last look around, Ashley hops off the table, and walks off further into the park. The two of them turn their devices back on, and keep scanning.

On the moon, Tommy is dragged back to his cell. His back is covered is lashes from the business end of a whip. Hour after hour, minute after minute...the endless pain, and torture. It would've been enough to make a grown man go insane. But somehow Tommy was fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to hang on. Roughly tossed back in his cell, he can feel every wound pulsing with fire. Blood oozes down his back and onto the floor. Gingerly he curls up on the decrepit cot, and for once in his life begins to cry. Thoughts of his friends, home, and loneliness dominate his every thought. Worse, feelings of hatred for Mack and Dillon begin to take root. Unable to summon the willpower to fight them off, he faces the wall, and cries himself to sleep. His dreams become swirling black nightmares. Images of death, decay, and destruction. His friends brutally killed one by one. Planets burn. The galaxy cries for help, yet no one can. In the midst of it, Tommy wakes with a start. Looking around, he sees no one. His internal clock tells him its almost dawn. A faint light fills the cell. Slowly, steadily, it grows brighter. Shielding his eyes, he can barely look at it. Out of the glare, walks his first true love. Kimberly Hart. The original pink ranger. Long, white flowing robes adorn her body, and her blond hair shines like the sun.

"Kimberly?"

"Tommy!"

They lock each other in a tight embrace. Enjoying the moment, neither moves for speaks. After a couple moments, and a few kisses, Kim notices the new scars on his back.

"Oh my God...what have they done to you?"

"It's nothing. I miss you so much."

"I miss you to. I don't have much time. Where is she, Tommy? Where is our daughter?"

"She's safe."

"Are you sure? If Zedd finds out about her-"

"He won't. I guarantee it. You don't need to worry."

"I know. But I do anyway. Don't let them get to you Tommy. This will all be over soon. I promise. I love you."

"I love you too."

One final embrace, and a long passionate kiss is interrupted by a couple of Quantrons who have come for Tommy. Kim has disappeared from the cell, leaving Tommy to wonder if the whole exchange happened at all. The pair of Quantrons move on Tommy. He manages to sucker punch one of them, but quickly gets beaten down by the other. He's hauled off again for another round of "questioning".

Blake and Karone hike through the woods, just north of Angel Grove. Their respective devices beep rapidly, and loudly. Other than that, its very quiet. No birds, or animals to be seen or heard. An uneasiness settles over them.

"Reminds me of the mountains where the ninja academy is."

"Really? It must be nice."

"It is. Being that high up, we get a pretty good view. Maybe when this is all over, you could stop by and see it sometime."

"I'll think about it."

"You do that. All these trees is going to make it difficult to detect approaching targets."

"I hate technology. Take the work out of everything."

"You hate the technology? Weren't you the one that built the Quantrons?"

Taken aback, Karone pretend to be focused on the search to hear the question. In an effort to avoid it, she keeps walking. Somehow, someway, memories of her past flood back. Memories of being kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately brainwashed to serve the greatest evil the galaxy has ever known. Burning of world, enslaving their inhabitants. Being forced to live the same nightmare day in and day out. It wasn't until the death of Zordon was she able to shake off the shackles of her servitude, and she became the pink galaxy ranger.

"Yeah it was me. So what?"

"I just find it odd that you're here, and Zedd it building an army of Quantrons as we speak, yet you show no concern whatsoever."

In a blink of an eye, she turns of him.

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"No, I just-"

"If you are, you better come out and say it!"

"No. I'm not accusing you of anything. I just find the coincidence staggering."

On the verge of losing it, she walks right up to him, and gets in his face. And in a low voice...

"If you think I have a hand in this, you better be prepared to back it up. I have done nothing but defend myself against lies like that my whole life! And I am not about to stand idly by and let you, and anyone else, talk about me like that. Do you understand me?"

"Alright, I'm sorry! Geez!"

"That's better. Now, get back to looking."

Having been put in his place, they continue onwards. The forest spreads out in front of them. With all the foliage, their task is not an easy one.

Daggeron and Alyssa walk through downtown, visiting all the places Tommy would go. His karate school, the Gym and Juice Bar, Angel Grove High where he substitute teaches once in a while. Among the dozens of people asked, no one has seen or heard from him. Not knowing what to do, they return to the Power Chamber to regroup. Alyssa sits and stares at the floor, while Daggeron paces back and forth.

"I don't get it Zordon. It's like he just dropped off the face of the planet."

"I do not know, Daggeron. So far the scanners have turned up nothing, and it seems that Mack and Dillon have disappeared as well."

"It's happening all over again. It's just like what happened before!"

"Maybe. But we have to hope for the best. Despair isn't going to help us."

"I know, I know..."

"Wait, what do you mean 'just like before'? What are you talking about?"

"It's a story best told when all the Rangers have gathered, Alyssa. Maybe it'll give us some perspective on what's going on."

"Alpha, if the Rangers haven't found anything by now, there is little doubt they will now. And the fading light isn't going to help. Recall them immediately."

"Right away Zordon."

Mack and Dillon stand before their new leader. Despite only being 7 feet tall, Zedd still manages to tower over them. His very presence exudes pure evil and hatred, and they can feel it.

"Congratulations. Your plan went off without a hitch. With the leader of this rag-tag group of Rangers out of the picture, they will helpless, lost, and confused."

"Thank you master."

"Now it is the time for the next phase of -my- plan. Finster has devised a machine that will knock the morphing grid offline for extended periods of time, giving you an advantage."

"Advantage? For what?"

"For war. You agreed to lead my armies on galactic conquest, and in return I spare your insignificant little planet. Remember?"

"Right. But with this machine, how will we morph?"

Finster walks over with a small ornate box. Undoing the latch, he slowly opens it revealing 2 gold and chrome morphers.

"These look like our regular morphers, with a different paint job. What's the deal?"

"As I should point out to you Dillon, I installed a chip in your morphers that will neutralize the morph blocking signal. In addition, they will grant you a significant boost to your natural abilities. In other words, you can run faster and longer, have increased strength, and stamina."

"Thanks Finster."

Blinded by greed, they take them without question. Just strapping them on seems to give them a charge.

"That will be all Finster."

"Yes, my lord."

He wanders back to his lab. Zedd walk over and grabs a remote off his throne. Pointing it at the empty space, he presses a button, and a large 3D hologram of the galaxy appears. Several planets are outlined in red, yellow, and green. A few are violet.

"Here's the battle plan: red is for the most important planets, and green are for the ones that can be ignored. For now. The violet ones are planets that have pledged their loyalty, and their troops to me. They have agreed to let you lead them into battle."

"What's this blue one?"

"That is Aquatar. Home of the Aquitian Alien Rangers. Taking that one will be difficult. While the 5 of them are the only rangers, their base of operations are well below the surface of the water. Only you would be able to go down there."

"Fine. I prefer handling things on my own anyway."

"I thought you would. Right now, my army is only a few million strong, but I can assure reinforcements will never be in short supply, since my factories are running all day and all night."

"Nice. How are we supposed to transport them?"

"Look-"

Outside the balcony, huge, sleek transports begin touching down all over the place. Loud rumbling shakes the fortress as thousands upon thousands of Quantrons emerge from underground. In formation, they turn and face their master.

"A new power is rising! Its victory is at hand! The galaxy will be stained with its own blood! Leave none alive! TO WAR!"

Turning back to his two recently converted generals, he sees they are ready for battle.

"There will be no dawn for them."

"Yes, my lord."

Dillon and Mack make their way to the transport that will carry them off to galactic conquest. They turn and survey army, which is thousands upon thousands deep. The troops stare back with no emotion whatsoever. The two Rangers board, and take their seats near the front of the transport. Infantry soon follows. Everywhere, metallic footsteps echo off the walls, and surrounding environment making one loud cacophony. In the cold interior, Mack and Dillon stare at each other, wondering what they got themselves into. Row and rows of troops stack up, filling every available inch of space in the transport. The rear door closes, bathing the interior in darkness. Until the all red lights come on. Seconds later, the ship rumbles as the engines warm up. Then the transport lifts off, followed by hundreds of others, all heading for the black of space.

In the Power Chamber, the Rangers listen to Daggeron's story, looking for clues that can hopefully shed light on the situation.

"Way back, going way back, I was a lieutenant in Zordon's army. When the war was almost over one of my Sergeants disappeared. Officially he was to go behind enemy lines, and perform recon. Unfortunately he never came back. After the war, we had reunited again. Except this time he was...changed. Something about him was different. He kept going on about how powerful he became, and how I could have that power too, and how we could rule the galaxy together. Of course, I refused. Over time, whatever power he found had warped him somehow. He eventually became the menace known as Lord Zedd. After I put the pieces together, I could see how everything was part of his master plan. It was almost as if he had foreseen all this. If I'm right, then we've been drawn into a trap. If I may be so bold, I suspect that Mack and Dillon had a part to play in it. Notice how we're already down 3 Rangers, and we still have no idea where Zedd is going to strike."

All over the Center, klaxons, alarm, and sirens go off. On the viewing screen, ships are seen leaving the moon en mass.

"AY-YI-YI-YI! Zedd's army is on the move!"

"We have to stop them!"

"No, Blake. It is too dangerous. Besides, the other Rangers have been preparing for this, they will know how to fend off Zedd's army."

"I understand Zordon. But what are we to do? We can't just sit here!"


	3. Chapter 3: War

**Chapter 3**

**War**

For two months Zedd's army had spread across the galaxy like wildfire. Led by the Black and Red Rangers, world after world burned and fell. Taking no prisoners, their people were brutally slaughtered. Men, women, even children. It made no difference. Planets were given the option to surrender before the invasions. Those not choosing to do so faced their own death. In some places, the blood ran like rivers. However, any Ranger found was not given a quick execution. Instead, they were captured, and sent back to Zedd's palace to see their fate. Typically, they were tortured to the point of death. Cole, the red Wild Force Ranger, was desperately trying to defend Manliurfa, the capital city of Pexode, a jungle planet. In the main fortress, where he was making his stand, he gets briefed by a general.

"Sir, the outer defenses have fallen, and we have had no contact with the outposts for hours. I think we're on our own."

"Get rid of the fear soldier. It won't do you any good. If we have to make a last stand here, so be it. Inside these walls, we will outlast them."

"What are your orders?"

"Empty the armory of everything, and get it to the troops on the walls. Even the wounded in the infirmary need guns."

"Yes sir."

The general rushes off to find people to help him. Within minutes, supply lines snake through the fortress, with guns and ammo being passed around. Out of nowhere, a terminal starts beeping.

"Sirs, you might want to look at this!"

The general and Cole rush over to see what it is. A red triangle fills the northern part of the screen.

"Zedd's army is on the move. How long until they get here?"

"About 45 minutes at the current pace."

All of a sudden, one terminal after another goes off. Inspecting the screens, Cole can see nothing but red filling the screens. Pouring in from all directions. They were completely surrounded.

"We are completely cut off. We are alone in this fight."

"I understand that sir. What should we do?"

"Have all the heavy weapons open fire as soon as the enemy is in range. Rockets, artillery, all of it. We must keep them off the walls."

"Yes sir."

Come nightfall, nervousness and fear pervade the fortress. A few troops with binoculars scan the treeline looking for any sign of movement. Cole was up top leading the defense himself. In the trees, Mack and Dillon survey the situation.

"I can see rockets, artillery, snipers, and the red Wild Force Ranger. What do you think?"

"We can take them. For a couple of cyborgs like us, it will be no problem."

"Alright, what's the plan?"

"Those snipers could be a problem. I'll take them out. You want take the artillery?"

"Deal. What about those rockets?"

"Last man to kill one gets funeral detail."

"Sounds good to me."

Mack turns to face the Quantron general. At six and a half feet, the general was taller than the rest of the army, and packed quite a few hidden weapons.

"Tell the others, Dillon and I will rush the fortress first, knocking out all the heavy weapons. When we give the signal, send in your troops. Understand?"

The general warbles something that could be interpreted as a "yes" then silently lopes into the forest. Mack and Dillon pull out their new morphers and engage them. A second later, they run at full speed towards the encampment. Easily dodging all incoming fire, they run up the walls, flawlessly executing their battle plan. After a few minutes, Dillon pops a flare, and the Quantrons emerge from the woods and siege the base. After it was over, the resistance had suffered 100% casualties, and Cole was captured. In Zedd's dungeons, he was beaten, burned, electrocuted, frozen, and interrogated for hours, even days, on end. Then he broke. Giving up the location of the other Wild Force rangers, his execution was that much quicker. While all that was going on, the Ranger prepared to move on Aquatar. The one and only transport lands on the surface with ease. Down below, Dillon and Mack suit up for a deep sea dive.

"What do we know about his place, Mack?"

"All water. The only hard surfaces are the Alien Rangers' headquarters and The Core."

"The Core?"

"Bad place from what I found out. So far, no one venturing there has ever come back."

"Ouch. What else?"

"That's about it. There's enough air in these tanks to make it down and back. Let's not waste it."

"Deep breaths, and hold them as long as possible."

"Right."

"Wait."

"Hmm?"

"Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"That we set out to become the very thing we swore to destroy? Zedd was right in our grasp. We could've ended it before it even got started. Now look at us. Toadying about like a couple of stooges."

"Honestly, I try not to think about such things. If I do, then I feel bad. Let's go."

They dive, and make their way to the Alien Rangers base of operations. Along the way, they pass various forms of sea life. Some friendly, some not so friendly. Schools of various fish of every shape and color. The Rangers are completely amazed by the variety. After a while, Mack points to a lit up landing pad up ahead. They carefully touch down on it. A door opened for them, leading them inside. Stripping off their gear, they stow in a couple of lockers. The interior is smooth, almost fully transparent walls. The water outside makes shadows everywhere, making a very creepy effect. They slowly walk along, and come to a heavy blast door.

"Right through here. Its their command center."

Blasting the door open, they find the Alien Rangers patiently waiting for them.

"We knew you would get here sooner or later."

"In fact, we were counting on it."

"Now, you will meet your fate!"

"Bring it on, you disgusting freaks!"

"Aquatar Alien Ranger Power Now!"

The Aliens morph into their suits, and prepare for combat.

"That's a nice trick. Watch this: Overdrive Accelerate!"

"RPM! Get in gear!"

"Overdrive Lance!"

"Nitro Sword!"

"Aquatar blades!"

A melee brawl breaks out. Despite being down 5 to 2, Mack and Dillon hold their own against the aliens. They decide to adopt a defensive strategy. With their increased speed and reflexes, they find that they can hold their own against the veteran warriors. Mack backs Delphine and Aurico into a corner, while Dillon gets surrounded by Tideus, Cestro, and Corcus. Whirling his lance around and around, Mack manages to disarm his enemies, and delivers a series of debilitating blows that leaves them crumpled on the floor. Dillon, however, is forced to rely on his quick reflexes to ward off any potentially fatal blows. His sword cuts very intricate arcs through the air, too fast for the human eye to see. But somehow the aliens manage to keep up. Seeing his friend is in danger, Mack back-flips to try and lend a hand. Without even see him, Cestro gets impaled and slumps on the floor. Likewise, Tideus gets his forearm chopped off, and one of his legs. He ends up bleeding to death. Corcus ends up losing his head. The remaining two Aliens are about to be dealt with when a mysterious individual enter the room. Zedd's Rangers look at him strangely.

"Who are you?"

The man calmly pulls a morpher from his back pocket and activates it.

"It's Morphin' Time! Blue Ranger Power! Power Lance!"

Billy, the original Blue Ranger, came to Aquatar to try and find a cure for his rapid aging. Little did he know he would have to defend it from the forces of evil. Given his experience, Billy is able to fend off the two Rangers long enough for the remaining Aliens to get to their feet.

"Go! Get out of here!"

"We can't leave you!"

"You must!"

The two Aliens get to their feet and rush out, leaving Billy alone with the Rangers. He twirls his pair of lances around expertly. Dillon catapults over his head, and starts swinging. Amazingly, neither Mack or Dillon can get a hit in. Billy even manages to land a couple of lucky shots. There's another tense standoff as Billy spins away from them. He connects the two ends of his lance together, making a double bladed weapon. He executed a fairly intricate maneuver, then amazingly, does it in reverse. Mack and Dillon stare at each other in shock.

"We do this together. Go in slowly on the left-"

"I'm taking him now!"

"Mack! No!"

Mack gets smacked about the face and torso before getting thrown out of the way. He collapses by the wall, and doesn't move.

"You two should never have come here."

"You shouldn't even be here!"

"Why? Too much of a challenge for you? Don't forget: I have home field advantage."

Billy twirls the lance around, and rests it on his shoulders. He motions for Dillon to come get him. The battle is joined once again, with Dillon seemingly trapped in a cage made of blades. Each ranger's respective weapons move faster then light, and their movements dictated only by experience and reflexes. Dillon leaps over Billy's head, and scoops Mack's lance off the floor. Using his super human strength, he can dual wield his Nitro Sword and Mack's Overdrive Lance with ease. But the effort doesn't give him much control over either weapon, so he relies on a brutal, straight ahead offense to compensate for his weaknesses. With both men using their lances with devastating effectiveness, fatigue sets in. With muscles feeling like lead, Billy slows down, maintaining a wall of pure defense. A wall easily broken, but he lashes out one more time, and shatters the right side of Dillon's helmet. The lance cuts deep, gouging out his eye. Dillon collapses, dropping his weapons, and covering his face. Billy stands over his fallen foe in triumph. Only now does Mack regain consciousness, and see what has happened. He decides to play it safe, and continues to sit in the corner.

"What do you say, Black Ranger? Give up?"

"Hardly. This battle is just beginning!"

Standing up, Dillon reveals something entirely inhuman. Instead of a bloody, empty eye socket, there's a robotic layer under his skin, complete with a bright blue eye.

"What's the matter, Blue Ranger? Never seen a cyborg before?"

Dillon scoops his Sword off the floor, and slowly walks over to Billy, who tries to put up an offense once again. This stage of the fight is over in mere seconds, as Dillon cuts his forearms off, and slashes at his knees, driving him to the floor.

"YOU. ARE. TERMINATED."

Dillon plunges his sword into Billy's back, effectively severing his spine. The body seem to fall in slow motion. After a few tense seconds, Mack looks at Dillon.

"Uh..does that-does that hurt?"

"Not really. You ready to leave this...place behind?"

"Let's get out of here."

On the way back up, the ocean is empty, completely devoid of life. All the fish are gone. Back on the ship, they realize that all the sea-life is dead, and is now floating on the surface. A grim reminder of what happened here.

"Master?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Aquatar has been taken. Three Alien Rangers have been killed, and the remaining two have fled to the core."

"Fine job. Time for your next target. There's no time to waste, so get moving. Once your in the air, I'll send the information."

Hours later, and one plastic surgery, they arrive at another planet. The Rangers are prepared to go after the remaining 4 Wild Force Rangers. On the flagship, One Justice, Mack studies a hologram of the planet their about to sack.

"Giznal. Jungle planet. Just trees and foliage."

"Any settlements?"

"No. Which is weird, considering this planet has a population of three billion."

"Indigenous, I'll bet."

"That's what I'm thinking. Look: a castle. The only known building on the entire planet. Where King Thunkon rules. They say whoever sits on the throne controls the planet."

"Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"Good idea."

"Any Rangers in the area?"

"Yes." Mack pushes, a few buttons, and a few other holograms appear next to the planet.

"Taylor, Max, Danny and Merrick. And look at this: the Jungle Fury Rangers, according the the latest intel. This planet is rich in natural resources, so you know they'll fight tooth and nail to protect it."

"Fat good it'll do them. Twelve on two. They don't stand a chance. Let's get to it."

"Right."

Back in space, hundreds upon hundreds of landing craft make for the planet's surface. Burning through atmosphere, they carefully land among the trees. Dispatching the troops, they set up a perimeter, and begin clearing away a landing zone. Mack and Dillon disembark, and quickly survey the situation.

"I don't get. They had to know we were coming. No ambush?"

"I don't get it either. Maybe they're trying to set up a false sense of security. be on your guard."

The Quantron general, approaches, and warbles away at the Rangers.

"Good job. Have your troops ready to march in the hour."

He goes off, and spreads the order around. Just as promised, everyone move out within the hour. Moving among the trees, bushes, rocks, and small ponds, the Quantrons carefully inspect every nook and cranny, looking for signs of an ambush. Even at the end of the day, there's been no activity. The air has become still, and seems to suffocate them. Now in total dark, they make camp.

"There's something weird about this, Mack. Three billion inhabitants, and twelve Rangers, yet no sign of life."

"Maybe they're waiting for us around the castle. Or maybe they went underground."

"We can only hope. How good can you see in the dark?"

"I have built in night vision. My dad was always one for planning ahead. He said it would come in handy. Why? What are you thinking?"

"We should take turns keeping watch. Three hours shifts. Sound good?"

"Who goes first?"

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

"Sure!"

Mack loses.

"I guess I'm going first."

After an uneventful night, morning comes, bringing with it a colorful palette of reds, oranges, and yellows. And a promise of a good day.

"Alright, Mack, where to next?"

"According to this map, there's a river that runs right by the castle. All we have to do is follow it."

"Alright. Which way?"

"That way: North by Northwest."

"Let's move out!"

The entire army breaks camp, and marches on, as one tireless engine of destruction. Soon, they come to a cliff edge.

"You didn't say there was a cliff."

"Sorry. This holo-map doesn't display topography real well. Especially in this light."

"What do we do?"

"The castle is on the other side of this gorge. We just have to get to get there."

"We could climb down, and back up again."

"Not possible. The river is too deep to be forded. We'd drown trying."

"What do you propose then?"

"Looks like the nearest crossing is the natural land bridge; twenty miles."

"Let's blaze a trail then."

A little while later, they reach the impossibly narrow bridge.

"It's not very wide."

"Alright everyone, single file!"

But before they can proceed across...

"Wait."

"What?"

"You feel that?"

A heavy stillness comes over them. The only sound being their breathing. Despite not having any wind, the treetops sway back and forth.

"What's going on?"

"AMBUSH!"

Suddenly, hundreds of arrows pour out of the trees, blocking out the sun. The Quantrons make a mad dash across the bridge. Some make it, a lot don't. Laying down blaster fire, the Rangers score a few kills before scampering across themselves. After they make it across, the bridge explodes, leaving the majority of the army to fend for themselves against the onslaught, including the General. Running into the woods on the other side, Mack gets on the radio.

"You still there General?"

A positive response comes back.

"Good. Gather what troops you can, and get back to the ships. Stay there, and wait for my orders, OK?"

Sounds of metallic running footsteps echo through the tress as do war cries, and various weapons going off.

"They're going to have a hell of a time getting back. How many we have left?"

"Don't know. Sound off!"

The Quantrons begin counting off in their strange language. After a few dozen, it stops.

"76."

"We'll be alright. We already took one fortress by ourselves. More or less."

"That was easy though. There was only one Ranger. The worst Red Ranger I have ever witnessed, I might add. Now we're up against, how many? 12? Maybe more?"

"OK, so we have our work cut out for us. Big deal. Maybe we can finally put our skills to good use."

"We're losing the sun. We better get going."

Up ahead, the castle looms in the distance. As the sun sets, it casts a long shadow over the land. By nightfall, the little band has made it to the base.

"Just like last time. We take the fortress, you follow us, OK?"

The Quantrons offer up a salute, and a warble of affirmation. In the mean time, Dillon scans the castle with a pair of high powered binoculars. The castle is roughly a pyramid shape, with a huge set of stairs going up one side. Instead of flat walls, however, the walls are tiered, featuring walk ways every 50 feet. The top is flat, featuring what appears to be a sacrificial chamber.

"I don't get it."

"What?"

"They knew we were coming. Why aren't there any defenses?"

"Maybe they're waiting for us inside. The people of this world are tricky bastards."

"Same as before?"

"Sure."

They rush the castle, activating their morphers. Finding the sloped walls shallow enough, they run up them versus straight rappelling. Vaulting over the walkways, they make it to the top with no problem.

"OK, that was a waste of time. Now what?"

"They're inside waiting for us. The walls are too thick to get a reading. For all we know its deserted."

"Great."

"I suggest we use the front door. It might be, you know, easier."

"Good idea. Let's make it happen."

They slide down the walls, and end up in front of the main entryway. Dillon pops a flare, and after a few seconds, the ragtag group of Quantrons emerge from the woods, itching for battle.

"This door seems pretty thick. Wonder if we can blast through it?"

"No need."

Dillon gives it a straight kick, shattering it upon impact. In a dramatic fashion, they slowly walk in, with the Quantrons slowly fanning out behind them. The remaining Wild Force and all the Jungle Fury are arrayed before them. Behind them, sitting on the throne, is what appears to be an 800 year old man, holding a gold scepter. King Thunkon. A couple of the good Rangers look at each other...

"Remember: protect the king at all costs."

"Got it."

Mack and Dillon begin to cross the room. Of course, the Quantrons follow suit.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"Surrender now, or prepare to to meet your death, Ranger!"

"You really think you can win? Your out numbered six to one."

"You must think that's a problem for us. Or do you not see the back up we brought?"

"Those walking trash cans? You can't be serious."

"Step on over and find out! RPM! Get in Gear!"

"Overdrive Accelerate!"

"Wild Access!"

"Jungle Beast! Spirit Unleashed!"

Huge morphing sequence, as colors flash, and the various Rangers are poised for battle. Before the battle begins, Merrick turns to Taylor.

"Get out of here."

"I can fight!"

"Leave. NOW! That's an order!"

Shaking her head, she runs out of there as fast as possible.

"Now, traitors, let's finish this!"

The battle is on as both sides eagerly rush to engage one another. Seconds, minutes, and even an hour passes as the violence continues unabated. One by one, the Quantrons are cut down by the Rangers superior skills. However, the Quantrons do mange to get a few good hits in, taking out a couple of Rangers, leaving them as bloody carcasses on the floor. By then end, all the Quantrons are down, and only Merrick and Theo are left standing. As opposed to the team of Mack and Dillon.

"Time to kick it up a notch. Spirit Ranger: Bat!"

Theo's suit turn black, with spines popping out in a few places; resembling a bat.

"That's a neat trick. Too bad it won't do you any good!"

With a sudden burst, Theo and Merrick re-initiate the battle...unsuccessfully. They were killed after a few seconds. The king comes off his throne, and offers his crown and scepter.

"As the tradition handed down through my family for many generations state: Any person who can defeat my personal guards in combat, receives my crown, and ownership of this planet."

"We don't want them. But we know someone who does."

Mack flips on his holo-communicator as Dillon moves from body to body, collecting the morphers as trophies.

"My Lord, the planet has been taken."

"Good job, my apprentice. Bring the crown and scepter back to me. Then prepare for another assignment. Before you leave...execute the king."

And with that, the hologram cuts off. In one split second move, Mack grabs the deposed king, throws him to the ground, and fires a round into the back of his head, exploding it. As they leave, footsteps echo behind them. Taylor, the yellow Wild Force Ranger steps among the bodies and walks right up to them.

"I know who you are. I know why you're here. Do what you need to do, and do it quickly. Wild Access!"

"Forget it girl, your not worth the effort."

They turn to leave, but she kicks Mack in the back of the leg. He spins, hits her, knocking her to the ground. Dillon goes to scoop her up, and in his mind's eye learns a terrible secret. He lets go, like he handled fire. He has a very shocked look on his face.

"What? What is it?"

Dillon ignores him, and focuses on Taylor.

"You...You're-"

"Yeah, I am."

"What? Tell me!"

"She's pregnant."

"Are you really?"

"Yes."

"How far along?"

"Couple months."

"Doesn't matter. We have a job to do."

"What?"

"Orders are orders, Dillon. Lord Zedd was very explicit: No Ranger left alive."

"You can't just kill her!"

"Why not? Because she's pregnant?"

"Yes!"

"What is it with you? You knew what we were supposed to do. You knew what this assignment was all about. You knew what was involved. Yet, you signed on anyway. Do what must be done, Dillon. Those were our orders. Now follow them!"

"You follow them. I will have none of this."

Dillon walks out, and summons the dropship to come get them. Inside sounds of stomping, slashing, screaming, and the final crushing blow echo off the walls and in Dillon's skull. And for the first time in his life, he knows what tears feel like. Mack walks out a few seconds later holding her morpher. It's smeared with blood. He gives Dillon a hard look, then casually tosses it into the bag along with the rest of the morphers, and walks towards the dropship. After one last look around, Dillon goes to leave to. Back on the ship, Mack corners Dillon.

"Don't EVER disobey me again!"

"You? We're supposed to be equals in this. Or did you forget that?"

"Red Ranger always leads."

"Oh, is that so? That's a half-assed excuse for doing what you did. There's a line between causing casualties and blatant murder. And you crossed it."

"Your one to talk! Need I remind you that you were the one that executed the Blue Ranger back on Aquatar?"

"He found out about me. Letting him live would've been to dangerous."

"Excuses, Dillon, I don't want to hear them! Now listen to me: In a time of war, you and I both know that anything goes. Didn't Venjix teach you that?"

"That maybe, but that doesn't give a free pass to do whatever the hell we want!"

"You know what? Fine. Do your own thing. See if I care."

"Don't be like that. You know your in this just as much as I am."

"Alright, alright. Look, it's over now. Let's just concentrate on the next objective, OK? Our 'contract' is almost up anyway."

They take their seats, and look around, suddenly realizing that all the Quantrons were watching and listening.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!"

The Quantrons go back to inspecting their weapons.

By this point, Tommy had accepted his fate that he would be trapped here until the end. By now he couldn't even feel the lead-tipped whip as it tore at his flesh. He considered himself lucky. Most of the time, he spent his time curled up in a corner, counting the minutes until the next round. And it was here that thoughts of hatred began to consume him. Until he gets another visit from Kimberly. As painful as it is, Tommy and embraces her, and they kiss.

"Don't let them get to you, Tommy. You can still fight."

"How? Locked in a cell, being starved to death, tortured almost around the clock, Zedd's morph blocking machine is almost online, the galaxy burns because of those...traitors. And Earth is virtually defenseless."

"It could be worse."

"Yeah right. How?"

"She could be dead. Along with everyone we care about."

"I guess you're right. If only there was a way I could contact Zordon one more time. Tell him what's going on. See if he can find her, and keep at least one eye on her."

"I thought you said she was safe?"

"She is. But, there's nothing wrong with extra insurance."

"What happened to us Tommy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Things like this used to routine for us and the others. Now..."

"I don't know. I think it started when you left to focus on your career. All of a sudden you didn't have time for me or our daughter."

"I tried to make it work."

"I know you did. If you remember, I backed you all the way, even as things at home fell apart. In the end, we just fell out of love."

"I know its too late, but I'm sorry. Maybe if I hadn't been such a stuck up little bitch-"

"Hey! We've all done things we're not proud of. I should know. I've been there. It wasn't entirely your fault. If I knew how it would all end, I would've stuck it out a little longer, but as it was..."

"It's all right, I don't blame you. I still love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

Back at the Power Chamber, reports begin to flood in of destruction all around the galaxy. Printouts spew from the computer. The Ranger are frantic trying to analyze it.

"This isn't right. This isn't right at all!"

"What Daggeron? What is it?"

"Look at this: Pexode has fallen. Total casualties, one Power Ranger captured. Look here at these other planets: Tyhon, Jukiloq, and Froth. All burned. No prisoners."

"It would seem that Zedd has decided to make it a war of attrition. He feels this is his revenge after everything that has been done to him."

"That would be my guess to Zordon."

"Zordon?"

"Yes Karone?"

"Where are my friends? Where is my brother?"

"I am sorry, but they have dropped out of contact just after war started."

"Were they killed?"

"Not likely. They would have been far away from where the war had started. Do not worry: Andros will contact us when he can."

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

Blake explodes, as he begins to angrily pace the floor. All eyes are on him, and an awkward silence falls like a hammer.

"Look, we know where Zedd is. If we kill him, we can end this war right now! Look! See that?"

He motions to the printouts spilling all over the floor.

"That is a cry for help! All over the galaxy people are wondering 'Where are the Power Rangers?' And here we sit like nothing is going on!"

"What are you saying? What do we do?"

"For all we know, the Space and Galaxy Rangers abandoned us. Hell, maybe they're dead. Sorry Karone, I call like I see it. Tommy is gone, and now we know what happened to Mack and Dillon. So much for your genius plan Daggeron. CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING US FUCKING KILLED!"

"You want to go Zedd's palace? Fine. Go. You won't last two seconds."

"It would be better than sitting here waiting to die!"

It's become apparent that cabin fever has set in, along with a deep desperation. The remaining Rangers occupy different corners of the Chamber, and get lost in their thoughts. Except Daggeron. He walks over to the printer and quietly shuts it off. Feelings of deja vu set in for him. He lost Zedd to the side of evil. No way he would lose the three Rangers still out there.

"Alpha, when the Astro Megaship comes back into range, please try to contact it."

"I will."

"Thank you."

He finds a spot in the middle of the floor, and begins to meditate. Slowly, Ashley begins to cry. Quietly at first, then loud enough for everyone to hear. She buries her face in her jacket as sobs wrack her body. Alyssa, doing what she does best, puts her arms around Ashley and tries to comfort her. After a couple minutes, Blake jumps again.

"Alright, what's your problem?"

Alyssa glares back at him.

"Knock it off! Can't you see how difficult this is for her! Besides you had your turn!"

"You little bitch!"

Blake tries to manhandle Alyssa. Nova spins him around and slaps him across the face. Hard.

"ALRIGHT THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Blake staggers around, taking stock of what just happened. He slumps by the wall, with tears filling his eyes too. Nova faces the group.

"This bickering is pointless. Whether we live or die, doesn't matter. All we have right now is each other. And we either hang together or hang separately. I want all of you to think long and hard about that."

Everyone chills out. Hostilities seemed to have come to an end. Eventually Karone get up to address the group to.

"It seems to me that this is what Zedd wants."

"What do you mean?"

"What just happened. Nothing would make him happier if episodes like that splintered us permanently. And I for one will not give him the satisfaction"

"Neither will I."

"Me neither."

All the Ranger reaffirm their commitment to the cause as a new wave of synergy takes over. Zordon looks down on them and smiles.

Rocketing through hyperspace can let a person have a lot of time to think. Even the shortest distances take a few days, even at faster than light speeds. In the cargo hold, Mack sits alone. Boxes and crates of various supplies fill every possible space, bringing back memories of that fateful warehouse. Except for the glaring red lights, it's completely dark. Probably what Hell looks like, Mack muses. In his hands is the Wild Force Morpher belonging to Taylor. He turns it over and over, recalling events of the day...

_"She's pregnant."_

_"Are you really?"_

_"Yes."_

_"How far along?"_

_"Couple months."_

_"Doesn't matter. We have a job to do."_

_"What?"_

_"Orders are orders, Dillon. Lord Zedd was very explicit: No Ranger left alive."_

_"You can't just kill her!"_

_"Why not? Because she's pregnant?"_

_"I will have none of this."_

Dillon left, leaving the executioner with the executed. Mack tries to get away, but is tormented by Mack. Every time she gets a little distance, he kicks her over again. Eventually, they come to a dead end. Pure white hot anger burns in his eyes. Taylor runs out of energy and cowers against a wall.

''Please...let me live!'

"Can't do that sweetheart. You get to die like everyone else."

"My baby..."

"Two for one. My favorite."

"You can't do this!"

"Watch me!"

He delivers a series of debilitating kicks to her arms and legs. While on her back, he brings down a heavy boot on her stomach. She screams and immediately coughs blood. Sharp stabs of pain blast through her abdomen, and her pants start turning a dark red. She tries crawling away, but gets her back slashed at, leaving several deep gashes. Her blood flows freely. She rolls onto her back, and tears appear in her eyes. He kicks her again. Every few seconds she spits blood.

"You...bastard! You-You killed my baby!"

"Your welcome."

"Go to hell!"

Mack kicks her again, crushing her ribs. Laying on the floor, completely broken and helpless, Taylor stares off into space, and in her vision, a bright white appears. Time slows. Taylor is mesmerized by it, a smile appears on her lips, and all her pain fades away. Out of the light, comes Kimberly. The Pink Ranger. Kim kneels on the floor, and takes Taylor's hands in hers.

"It's time to go, sweetheart."

"I know. I'm ready."

Time resumes, and Mack stands over her.

"I've been waiting for this!"

A final kick crushes her skull against the floor, ending her life. A buzz brings Mack back to reality. His hologram vibrates, with the warning of an incoming message. It would only be one person. He quickly wipes a few tears from his eyes, and activates it.

"Yes, Lord Zedd?"

Instead of the scary visage that is ruler of the galaxy, its a mutated Scottish Terrier. Zedd's minion and home grown genius: Finster.

"He is otherwise engaged, Red Ranger. So he told me to give you the information regarding your next target."

"Alright, hold on."

Mack rushes to the main deck. Dillon sees this, and joins him. Mack plugs the device into the holo-projector. It comes to life as lights swirl around and form a green planet. Information downloads at a rapid pace, and scrolls by rapidly on a screen.

"Do you have it?"

"Yes, Finster. Thanks."

Dillon analyzes the information.

"Mirinoi."

"Mirinoi?"

"I know. It doesn't make sense. Its in another galaxy altogether."

"Zedd wouldn't waste our time like this. There's a purpose here."

"Better not be what I think it is."

"Ever since this planet was founded, there has only been one settlement."

The hologram rotates around, highlighting an area roughly 5 miles by 5.

"The remnants of the disastrous Terra Venture project. We sank billions of dollars into that project."

''It seems the people there have lived of the land. Farmers mostly. They aren't soldiers."

"What are you thinking?"

"That valley: Tera Valley is where they are all concentrated. It'll be easy to siege. Have our troops surround it, then we just pour in."

Dillon just stares at Mack.

"Don't forget Dillon, we have a job to do."

On the screen, a red light starts blinking, indicating a personal message. Mack pushes a button, and the terrible image of Zedd appears.

"Ah, my Rangers. I see you have the intelligence I sent over?"

"Yes, Lord. one question: why this planet? There's no army here. Just civilians."

"Good question. Here's the reason, Black Ranger, and you would do well to remember this: We will stop at nothing to bring the galaxy under my control. There is no place that is safe enough from me. Anyone not willing to bend their knee to me will face their own mortality! Which is why you will burn that little insignificant fucking planet to the ground! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good! This war is almost over. Only a few planets that haven't sworn allegiance to me are being attacked as we speak. One final effort is all that remains. And after your done, come back here for your next assignment."

With that, the message goes out, leaving the Rangers alone in the eerie stillness.

"Total annihilation."

"A new assignment?"

"What'd he mean by that?"

"Doesn't matter now, Dillon. We have a job to do."

On Mirinoi, it's a beautiful day. The sun shines bright, the birds sing. Families are outside enjoying the day. In the distance, farmers start gathering crops for the upcoming winter months. All of a sudden, sonic booms echo through the sky. All the birds in the area depart immediately. All the people look around trying to see where the disturbance is coming from. On the northern edge of the valley, Mack and his partner in crime appear. They stare down into the valley, taking stock of the surroundings. All the people look up and start to cheer. The Power Rangers have finally come to Mirinoi to protect them from the war in the other galaxy. When they morph, the crowds go wild. Then the mood dies down as thousands upon thousands of Quantrons appear. The people start to run in all directions. Before they can go anywhere, the army pours into the valley, riding the pale horse of death. The Quantrons move between the buildings killing everyone they run into. Men. Women. Even little children. Homes and crops burn, as do many corpses. After, the army goes house to house rooting out any "resistance". In the attic of one house, Mack corners a family. A mother cradles her infant daughter. The father holds his son and other daughter. The children start to cry. The mother begs for mercy...

"Please, sir. Spare my children! Take me instead!"

Unmoved, Mack slowly draws his pistol and takes aim.

"Please! Spare us!"

Mack's nerves get the better of him. Thoughts of Taylor invade his mind. Watching her squirm may have given him a rush, but now shakes him to his core. Seeing this family stare death in the face fills him with regret. Zedd's orders also bounce around in his mind: "NO. MERCY." The son wrests himself free of his father's grip and charges the Ranger. Futilely pounding at the ranger, he cries loudly.

"Leave my parents alone! Get out of here, you bully!"

Mack picks the child up by the shirt and easily tosses him across the room, knocking him unconscious. The father tries to retrieve him, but Mack fires a bolt in the floor in front of him.

"Stay down."

"My son-"

"SIT DOWN!"

"Please I-"

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

The family freezes where they are, afraid to push this psycho over the edge. Outside, Dillon hears the commotion and runs inside. Upstairs, he discovers the hostage situation. Seeing Mack having difficulty pulling the trigger, he senses there maybe hope for him yet.

"Red Ranger?"

"What, Ranger Black?"

"Come on, put the gun down."

"No. They have to die!"

"Why? What that do? It's not going to help our cause."

"Order are orders, Ranger! Did you not hear Lord Zedd when he said to burn everything and to leave no one alive?"

"I did. You don't have to do this. We didn't join him to blindly murder innocents. Even you know that."

Mack is in a total state of panic as the truth comes crashing in on him. Images of Taylor begging for her life, even as it slipped away from her, become as real as the room he's in. Sweating through his suit, Mack makes a desperate decision to retake his future and his destiny. He fires his blaster several time at an empty spot on the wall. The family screams in terror, and the baby starts to cry. Mack, however, stands shaking at the thought of the atrocities he was about to commit. Shakily, he walks out of the house, and Dillon follows him. All around, death and destruction still reign as Quantrons drag victims from their houses, and executed in the dirt streets. Blood flows everywhere.

"Dillon?"

"Yeah, mack?"

"Where's the nearest drop shop?"

"_One Justice _is about 7 miles over the western ridge."

"Orders are orders. Let's get back to Zedd."

"Alright. Let's go."

Now out of the valley, the sounds of screams, burning, and crashing still follow them. At the empty dropship, Mack climbs into the cockpit, and mans the pilot's chair. Dillon sits in the co-pilot chair.

"What are you thinking Mack?''

"Vengeance."

Mack takes the ship up, and hovers over the valley. Powering up the ships lasers.

"I know what you're thinking."

"You'll never get away with it."

"I know."

He opens fire, and decimates the entire Quantron army. Within minutes, nothing moves in the alley, and the smoke from the battle ascends up and up forever. The Rangers burn sky and enter hyperspace. Alone on the ship, Dillon decides to call out Mack on his latest actions.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"You did the right thing."

"After what we did? It won't mean anything."

"I understand why you might say that."

"The other Rangers won't have anything to do with us. And Zedd is going to want our heads. For once in my life, I feel completely alone in the universe."

"I know what that's like. Spent my whole life living that way. Even when I was a ranger. It's rough."

"What are we going to do?"

"Let me worry about that. I have a plan."


	4. Chapter 4: The Long Way Home

**Chapter 4:**

**The Long Way Home**

In the Power Chamber, the printouts have finally stopped coming. The final results: Trillions dead. 16 Power Rangers dead. Every planet conquered, surrendered, or burned. The feeling in the chamber is solemn as the Rangers feel that the hammer of Zedd's justice comes down on their heads. The Rangers sit around in groups, or by themselves, and let despair take over. Blake and Daggeron angrily stare at each other. Alyssa and Ashley huddle together, drawing strength from one another. Nova sits against a wall, contemplating what to do. So far, she's the most veteran Ranger and wears the mantle of leadership. The Rangers would look to her for what to do. Alpha, being a droid empty of emotion, taps away at the various control panels, making sure everything works as it should. Zordon floats in his tube, for once in his life not knowing what to do. As far as anyone knew, Earth was the last bastion of hope for the burned remnants of the galaxy. Nova stands up and addresses the group.

"Look, we're Power Rangers. In the end, we still have a job to do. I don't know about any of you, but I'll defend this planet to my very last breath. Whether I want to or not. Being a Ranger brings certain duties and responsibilities, and we have to fulfill them to the best of our abilities. Zedd is on our doorstep, I'll be DAMNED before I let him take this rock. The odds are heavily stacked against us, but not as bad as they could be if all of us were on our own. Together, we stand a very good chance of beating back Zedd's armies. All of us are the best of our teams-"

"Alyssa chokes up, and begins to sob again.

"I'm sorry, Alyssa, you have my condolences. Like I was saying, we are the best of all our respective teams. And we will kick serious ass. Am I clear?"

Blake gets off the floor, and approaches her. Whatever hate and anger he was holding on to disappears.

"We may not see eye to eye, but I will agree with you on those points. Besides, we all know you can't resist my good looks."

"Yeah right!"

They shake hands. One by one, the Rangers get up, and they all stack hands. On the moon, _One Justice _touches down, and the Rangers disembark. Passing through the airlock, Zedd is there to meet them. The air is so thick with malice, the Rangers almost choke.

"I trust the battle went well?"

"Mirinoi has been taken. Total casualties. No one was left alive."

Zedd seems to stare right through them, as if trying to detect any form of deceit.

"Fine. Come with me. Time for your next assignment."

The fearsome threesome walk through the fortress. Past the armory, the cell blocks, the laboratories, the "infirmary'', up several floors, and finally to the balcony.

"That- is your next assignment."

"Earth?"

"Yes. The last planet in the galaxy. Totally defenseless. My lifelong enemy, Zordon, and his power fools reside there. Is must be destroyed."

"That wasn't part of the deal! You said Mirinoi would the last!"

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further. Obey. Or be destroyed."

Mack and Dillon look at each other and prepare to make a decision.

"WELL? Zedd roars.

As Dillon opens his mouth, Mack steps up.

"We'll do it."

"Good! I can see you are honorable men. Are you ready to go?"

"Honorable, yes. Invincible, no. Give us an hour to prepare."

"You have your hour. Then be on your way."

"Yes, Lord."

The Rangers walk away, and proceed into the castle.

"Are you insane?"

"For once in my life, Dillon, I am thinking clearly. Now, here's the plan."

A few minutes later, Dillon strolls into Finster's lab, who is busily carving a new form of Quantron out of clay. It features more intricate armor, a helmet with an obvious "Z" on it, and a more humanoid face then a plain visor. If brought to life, it would surely strike terror into all that behold it. Dillon watches in amazement at the passion, dedication, and attention to detail of the craftsman.

"That's really good!"

"Thank you, Dillon. When it's done, it will replace our current troops on the field."

"I can't wait. Listen, can you do me a favor?"

"It depends. What is it?"

"I need to borrow the plans for the Morph Blocking Machine. I wanted to show them to Mack."

"Then shouldn't he be here, asking me himself?"

"He's otherwise...engaged."

"I see. Well, in that case, I see why not."

Finster hands a rolled up scroll to Dillon. It seems dry and musty.

"How long have you had this?"

"Ever since my old master, Rita Repulsa returned and waged war against Zordon all those years ago."

"Interesting. I'll be right back. And thank you."

"My pleasure."

Finster hums an odd tune while going back to his work. Dillon takes one hard look at the new model before leaving. He meets Mack right out side the detention block. Made of hard thick stone, and buried underneath the moon's surface, this is a place where no one can hear you scream. Bouncing off the walls are the screams and shrieks of the insane, and those about to join them. Sounds of various methods of torture are also heard. Electrocution, whipping, beatings, loud noises. If nightmares had a point of origin, this would be it. Everywhere, water drips, leaving mildewy puddles on the floor.

"Mack, are you sure this is going to work?"

"It better or we're going to really be up shit creek."

"How will you convince him this is for real?"

"He won't have a choice."

Anger. Blistering rage. White hot fury. These words can't describe the hurricane of emotions inside Thomas Oliver. Former Power Ranger. Betrayed by those closest to him. Left to rot while the galaxy died around him. Beaten, whipped, and tortured day after day. Given only what an insane man would call food to subsist on. A severe lack of much needed sleep. Even with Kimberly visiting once in a while couldn't assuage his grief. Right now her supplications were falling on deaf ears. It seemed like nothing she said got through to him. He died to himself, and became a new creature born out of pure hatred. Footsteps. Human footsteps. Right outside the door, through the barred window, the horrid visages of Dillon and Mack appear. Barely looking up, he can see them arguing. Dillon shakes his head vigorously. Looking in, Dillon sees the eyes of Tommy looking back. Those eyes. Bloodshot with hate. His breaths seem to become low animalistic growls.

"Look at him in there. For all we know, he's broken."

"I know this guy. He's not broken. Not yet. It's not too late to save him."

"What do we do?"

"The only thing we can do: barge in there, subdue him, and take him back with us"

"You trying to get yourself killed?"

"You have a better plan, Dillon? I'd like to hear it."

"No I don't."

"Look. I know you don't want to hear this: we killed 16 Power Rangers. We can handle this."

"You better be right."

With a swift kick, they break the door down. They charge in. But instead of a weakened human, they come up against a force they never have before. Fighting like an animal waging a last stand, Tommy's strikes are wild and fierce. Someway, somehow, Tommy is able to beat back, and beat down both Rangers. Throwing Mack aside, he backs Dillon into a corner and pummel him. A mistake that would cost him dearly. Mack jumps back up, and puts Tommy in a full nelson. Dillon gets up, and begins to put restraints around Tommy's legs and arms. Despite the new handicaps, Tommy still kicks, and tries to fight back. Mack pulls a taser out his pocket, and tases him. Tommy is out within seconds.

"That worked."

"What now?"

"Into the lair of our other enemy: the Power Chamber."

"You're taking a big risk."

"I know. We don't have a choice now. We're in too deep. Did you get the plans?

"Yes. Let's get the hell out of here."

The three of them teleport away. As soon as they leave, a Quantron guard spots the open cell and investigates. A second later, he runs off to report the incident. In the foothills of Angel Grove, the threesome appear. The Power Chamber looms overhead. Mack and Dillon drag their prize up to Chamber. Inside, the Rangers start coordinating a battle plan, when the door to the outside opens up. Everyone looks, expecting to see some good news. Instead, its the three Rangers. In a hugely awkward situation, with an air of hatred and malice, Mack and Dillon prop their prize by the wall. Zordon stares in anger, and the good Rangers prepare for a confrontation.

''What are you doing here?"

Mack and Dillon look up at Zordon to try and offer an explanation.

"We know there's nothing we can say that will be good enough, so we are prepared to accept whatever judgment you think is appropriate. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to return Tommy before...whatever it is you decide to do."

"While we are grateful, one good act does not make up for the atrocities you have committed. Trillions have died, entire worlds have burned because of you two."

"No excuses, Zordon."

"From now on, you are banned from this chamber, and you are not to have contact with me, or any of the other Rangers. Under penalty of death. Do you understand?"

This time, Dillon steps up, and goes eye to eye with Zordon.

"Before you play high and mighty, there's a few things you oughta know. First, Zedd betrayed us. He ordered us to attack Earth as soon as we were ready. Thanks to Mack, we managed to buy some time. The other thing is this: Zedd is coming here himself. He will be leading the assault on Angel Grove personally. Finally, I have the plans to Zedd's soon to be completed morph blocking machine. Here, take them."

He angrily tosses them across the chamber, where they land in a corner. Dillon faces the group.

"Know this: Mack and I are going to destroy that machine ourselves. Once activated, it will be the end of all of your morphing powers. In addition, we'll be there when Zedd comes. Like it or not."

The duo leave in a huff. A stunned silence falls over the group. Outside, they go sit on the edge of the plateau.

"Looks like this is it for us."

"Caught between a rock and a hard place. Betrayed by Zedd, rejected by Zordon. This is not the way I thought this would go at all."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

"Now what do we do?"

"It won't take long for Zedd to realize we're gone. Once he does, it'll be game over for us. In the mean time we should comply with Zordon's wishes as much as possible. Being belligerent isn't going to help our cause."

"Agreed. You know what? I'm thirsty."

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Gym and Juice Bar?"

"Let's hit it."

On the moon, Zedd's body pulses red with rage. He repeatedly slams his fists on the balcony ledge.

"GOD-DAMN-IT! I HATE THOSE POWER RANGERS! HOW COULD THEY? WHY WOULD THEY? AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!"

Turning around, he shoots lightning out of staff, obliterating several Quantrons in the vicinity, and destroying much of the room.

"FINSTER?"

"Uh...y-y-yes, my liege?"

"Are those new drop pods ready yet?"

"Yes master. All fueled up-"

"Get them ready to launch within the hour."

"Yes, Lord."

At "Ernie's", Mack and Dillon sit down at the bar. Retired police officer, and detective, Lt. Jerome Stone walks over to them. He's wearing his trademark neon red Hawaiian shirt, purple am shorts, and brown loafers. Given the bright pastel colors, neon lights, tropical decor, and art deco architecture, the Rangers definitely seemed out of place. Jerome has a bright smile on his face, a counter to the angst in the Rangers' souls.

"What'll it be?"

"Multiberry smoothie for me, please."

"Blackberry for me."

"Coming right up."

Soon the loud banging and crashing of equipment is heard as two refreshments prepare to meet their demise. The Rangers look around and see everyone enjoying their lives. Working out, playing classic arcade games, an amateur karate class led by a veteran in a red tank top. A blonde going over a simple gymnastics routine in front of a group of girls, even guitar lessons in one corner. Little did they know that death and destruction were on their way. Mack and Dillon turn and look down at the counter, trying to banish memories from that past few days, events now seared into their very souls. Then, a couple of cups appear in their views.

"Here you go, boys. Fresh out the blender."

"Thanks, Jerome. How much?"

"You're Tommy's friend right?"

"Uh..."

"I've seen you two here plenty. Tell you what: it's on the house."

"Yeah, thanks. Much appreciated."

"What's going on? Why the long faces? It's a beautiful day!"

"We haven't exactly slept in the past couple days. And this day isn't looking to good either."

"Oh, I see."

By now, a few other customers approach.

"I gotta take care of this. Enjoy those drinks you hear?"

"Thanks again."

They get up and move to an empty table. They continue to longingly stare into their drinks like they have life's answers.

"What are we doing, Mack? This isn't us!"

"I know, I know. I really fucked up."

"And I came along for the ride..."

"You said it best: 'Betrayed by Zedd, rejected by Zordon'. I don't see a way out of this."

"There's only one thing we can do."

"What?"

"The right thing."

"Yeah. Which is?"

"We need to show them we have repented. That we're genuinely sorry for what we did. If our words mean nothing, then let our actions speak for us."

"I like that. Where do we start?"

"Wherever someone is in danger."

"Good one. Like I didn't think of it."

"You asked."

"Let me ask you something: Why did you decide to fight? Why did you come?"

"Ever since dad built me, I wanted to do something great. Being a Ranger, and saving the world was good. But after...we just faded into obscurity. After a while my dad disbanded the Overdrive team, officially, citing an end to the crisis. 'Mission accomplished' as he put it. But the team...we hung in there. Eventually, it was decided that we go our separate ways, coming together again if a crisis was big enough."

"Where are they now?"

"Don't know. I haven't heard from dad or the other Rangers. I'm kinda worried."

"Is it possible they were on one of the planets that were sacked?"

"How would they get there? Besides, we would've known. Or me at least. You?"

"Me? My reasons for joining... press-ganged. I made a deal with Nova. On her way back through time, she came and picked me up. Promised me something if I fought."

"What was it?"

Dillon shakes his head, indicating that it's private. Mack gets the picture, and sips his drink. Dillon suddenly gets s big grin on his face...

"What? What's so funny?"

"You know...I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Ever since I was little I always wanted to be a fighter pilot."

They bust up laughing. Mack nearly chokes on his drink.

"Really?"

"Yeah...oh, man."

"I envy you."

"How's that?"

"You had a childhood."

Over the power chamber, a thunderstorm miles wide appears suddenly. Heavy rains, hail, lightning crackles, and thunder booms. Inside, the sensors go nuts, and alarms blare.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi! This storm came out of nowhere!"

"It'll be difficult to spot approach enemies."

Pods start falling to Earth.

"Tighten the scanner's radius, and refine the sweep."

Pods enter the atmosphere.

"Be careful, Alpha. Too much power will over load them!"

The pods race through the clouds, just over the storm.

"That got it!"

On the radar, hundreds of red dots appear. On the 3D map, pods fall around the command center, and Quantrons begin the siege.

"Quantrons!"

"Tommy!"

Tommy wakes with a start, and finds everyone in a full blown panic. Ashley breaks the manacles off his arms, legs, and helps him to his feet.

"What's going on?''

"We're under attack!"

"Alpha, lock the back door, and initiate emergency lockdown. Open the front door."

"Tommy, are you sure?"

"They want in? Let's not disappoint."

The front door opens, forcing the Quantrons into a bottle neck. The Rangers inside do their best to beat back the assault.

At the gym and juice bar, Mack and Dillon see the pods fall from the sky.

"What is that?"

"It ain't good."

"Let's go!"

They teleport back up the hill.

At the chamber, the situation is desperate. Quantrons fill the Chamber, and have started scaling the walls. Alpha runs for cover behind a control panel. During the fight, Ashley remembers the last time this happened. When space pirate, Divatox, destroyed the Chamber once and for all using a similar method. Fool me once...She intercepts a couple of Quantrons busting up the control panels. She ducks a few slashes of bladed weapons. Nova and Karone fight back to back, being careful not to try and get surrounded. For Tommy, time slows. As Quantron swarm around him, his blood pressure rises. His muscles tighten. His eyes become bloodshot. He lets loose with a fury unseen before. As a one man army he drives back the foul creatures. A flash of light announces the entrance of the outsiders. Dillon and Mack lay down serious blaster fire, clearing the chamber in a matter of minutes. They rush outside, and lay waste to the dozens of Quantrons, waiting in the wings. Soon after, the walls are clear, and the storm breaks up.

"_Hasta la vista_, bitches!"

Through the smoke, they walk back in, and demorph. It's easy to see that Tommy can barely keep his rage in check.

"I think someone owes us a thanks."

"Mack..."

Zordon turns and looks at them.

"A thank you is in order, but my punishment still stands. please leave at once."

"YOU'D BE DEAD IF IT WASN'T FOR US!"

"Come on, Mack, let's just go."

"Fine!"

Mack storms out, leaving Dillon behind. As he turns to leave, Dillon catches Ashley's eyes. She mouths a "Thank you" to him, and he smiles back at her. Then leaves. After a rather involved clean up effort, all the Rangers stand around, feeling deeply divided over what has just happened. Blake turns to the others.

"I know we shouldn't be discussing it, but they did save our lives."

"It doesn't matter, Blake. They killed countless others. Including other Rangers."

"The past is behind us. The future is yet to unfold. There is no fate but what me make for ourselves. I also happen to know that being a Ranger means forgiving others. For me personally, I would welcome them to the team. And if I'm in the minority, so be it. I care not."

"I remember when I became a Galaxy Ranger. Only then did I know that I was truly forgiven for the hideous acts I committed. Mind control or not, I was responsible. I know what their going through. It's rough. Forgiveness is the best policy."

"NO."

Nova comes forward.

"No, sweetheart. Forgiveness is not the best policy. I can't tell you how many hardened criminals were let loose because of forgiveness."

Everyone looks to Tommy. Knowing his legendary past, he would have something decisive to say.

"Yeah, well, where would I be without forgiveness? I almost destroyed the Power Rangers. I almost killed Zordon...twice. They didn't have to let me on the team. Your kind of justice, Nova, would've been appropriate. Then what, though? It's something to think about."

"But Tommy, they've killed Power Rangers. They killed trillions! They burned entire worlds!"

"Rangers, only the hearts of Dillon and Mack will prove themselves. They saved us yes, but that doesn't mean we can give them a free pass. Only time can determine who they side with."

On the moon, Zedd paces like a caged animal. He growls and roars at anything and everything. The disastrous failure from the latest assault eats him alive.

"First, Mack and Dillon betray me, free Tommy, and kill my troops! Maybe it's time I dealt with this personally!"

"Before you get yourself killed, master, you might want these!"

Finster opens a fairly intricate, and old, box. He reaches in and pulls out a small stack of data cards. Each one is a different color.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"It. Is, master."

"Where did you get these?"

"A little something I held onto after the day of destruction. If my information is right, they will still work. I even added a few of my special upgrades."

"Maybe I should test them out before I do anything rash...again."

He tosses the cards into the air. While they spin around, Zedd blasts them with a bolt of lightning. The cards turn into pools of metallic goo on the floor. Nothing else happens.

"Finster? You brought me puddles of goo?"

"Not goo. Liquid metal."

"Liquid metal?"

Weird noises comes from the piles of liquid metal. Slowly, the piles stand up, and become humanoid. Seven foot tall, heavily armored individuals. Red, blue, pink, yellow, black, gold, silver, and green Psycho Rangers have returned. A thunderstorm of malice surrounds them, and they appear ready and willing to go to battle.

"What is thy bidding, our master; Zedd, Lord of the galaxy?"

"So far so good, Finster. A simple assignment for the six of you: Infiltrate the Air Force base just outside Angel Grove. Kill everyone you see, destroy everything you can. If you succeed...destroy the Power Rangers!"

"Yes, master!"

The Psychos disappear in a flurry of lightning. Seconds later, they appear inside Edwards Air Force Base. Looking around, they quickly scan several of the personnel, taking bio-scans of everyone. In mere seconds, they become an amalgam of the servicemen around them.

"Fan out."

They split up, looking for the base's critical areas.


	5. Chapter 5: Game On

**Chapter 5:**

**Game On**

Psycho Yellow has infiltrated the armory, where they keep the bombs for the fighters. She carefully moves among them, scanning the munitions with her fingers, making careful notes of how it works. She carefully removes the warhead. Her left hand transforms into a, what can only be called, a very complicated swiss army knife. She detaches several wires, and puts them back together in a different order. She then attaches a remote device to it. After, she replaces the warhead, and slips out the door. Psycho Green walks right into the base commander's office. He's greeted by the secretary.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to see the commander, it's urgent."

"He's with someone right now. You can have a seat if you want."

"It really can't wait...alright. I'll be back."

He decides to make use of the bathroom. Once inside, he melts down to a puddle again. Moving stealthily under the furniture, he makes his way past the row of chairs, under her desk, and reforms behind her. To top it all off, he taps her on the shoulder. As she bolts around, he grabs the sides of her head, and gives it a violent twist. He quickly jams her body under the desk. Approaching the door leading to the commander's office, he gives it a violent kick, and it practically explodes. Before the commander and his appointment can move, they get several bullets unloaded into them. Psycho Green walks out, and does a good job of turning off the lights, and locking the front door. Psycho Blue, disguised as a mechanic, climbs into the cockpit of an F-18. Taking a few moments to familiarize himself with the controls, he sends out a tiny electrical pulse into the panel. All the lights blink on and off in a random patterns. Unknown to the other airmen, the signal bounces from plane to plane. Psycho Gold and Silver knock out all telecommunications. Psycho Pink disables any air raid sirens. Psycho Red arms some large fuel tanks to go off. After their individual assignments are completed, they meet again.

"Everything ready?"

"Yes, Green."

"Let's not make Lord Zedd wait anymore."

They revert to their real forms, and immediately open fire on any personnel in the area. Several airmen go down in the initial volley. Slowly, more heavily armed soldiers arrive and start spraying lead at the Rangers. The Psychos hold their ground, but eventually go down. A few of the soldiers start celebrating. Too soon. Together, the Psychos sit up. Their wounds instantly heal.

"Psycho Blue, get those planes in the air!"

"Yes, Red!"

The F-18's start up by themselves, and take to the skies. They wheel and circle around, taking out whatever they can. At the Power Chamber, alarms perpetually blare once again. Images of death and destruction fill the Viewing Screen.

"Rangers, you have to get their right away. If we lose that base, Angel Grove will be left defenseless against a total assault from Lord Zedd."

"We're out of here!"

They teleport away, and arrive at the Air base. Fire, dead bodies cover the ground. Smoke fills the air. The sky is filled with angry fighter planes. Out of the smoke comes the line of Psycho Rangers.

"Well, well, well, who have we here? The Power Rangers? We're flattered. Come on over, so we can kill you."

"No problem!"

Tommy rushes up, and punches Green right in the face. His fist gets stuck there, as Green forms over it.

"Ha ha ha! You thought it would be that easy?"

Green delivers a series of blows to Tommy's face and torso, before finally dropping him.

"As the six of you can see, you're already to late. We've taken this field. And we'll be sure to give your regards to Lord Zedd."

The good Rangers rush forward, but too slow. The Psychos teleport away in a flurry of lightning. Tommy kneels on the ground, fuming. He pounds the pavement with his fists, until his hands are black and blue. All around, what's left of the medical personnel begin to help those they can. Not that it matters. With the fighters still in the air, and the defenses off line, rescue missions are dangerous at best. As the devastation sinks in, the group unwittingly leaves themselves open to attack. Which is just what happens. Flying mere inches off the ground, a fighter barrels right at them. Before it makes contact, Dillon jumps onto it, and hangs on for dear life. The plane instantly goes vertical, and does a series of loops and stunts to shake the would be hijacker. Dillon opens the cockpit window and sits down. He quickly closes the hatch again. For some reason the plane goes through its motions. The lights on the control panel blink randomly, and few short out as the plane is pushed beyond its limits. Out of Dillon's pointer finger comes a long sharp needle. he jabs it into the control panel, and it goes dark. The plane starts to plummet to the ground at hundreds of miles per hour. Dillon begins rapidly downloading data into the plane.

"Come on, come on!"

The ground gets bigger and bigger, and the controls are unresponsive. A few seconds before crashing, the panel comes back on, giving Dillon full control of the craft. He yanks back on the stick, sending the plane vertical again. He engages the other craft. On the ground, helps gather some of the survivors, and helps in treating them. He performs x-rays, and other types of scans, indicating the more life threatening ones. In the sky, Dillon does his best avoid incoming fire. The air is thick with .30 millimeter shells, and missiles. He gets a couple of kills rather quickly.

"Two down, a few dozen to go..."

Using his incredible reflexes, he pushes the craft way past its limits, performing maneuvers that would be impossible with a human pilot. And it works. Outsmarting the enemy AI, he pushes it farther and farther. Soon, all the enemy planes are down except one. Just as Dillon gets a lock, a "No ammo" warning flashes. Having no other option, he speeds up, and flies right over the other plane, missing it by a few inches. Then a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse at 80,000 feet ensues. Going full throttle, he points the plane straight down at the ground, and the enemy plane follows. Dodging, and spinning out of the way of enemy fire, he focuses on the one target. Warnings of every kind and color go off.

"I KNOW! I KNOW! SHUT UP!"

On the ground, the Rangers watch the planes plummet. They hope that the lead plane pulls up at the last second. But as time passes, it looks less and less likely. The enemy plane senses what's going on, and begins to pull back.

"COME ON! COME ON YOU SON OF A BTICH!"

The other plane re-engages, and closes the distance. With only a few dozen feet to spare, Dillon yanks back and to the left on the yoke, putting the plane into a steep twirling climb. The other plane smashes into the ground. Overcome by the sheer amount of G forces, Dillon passes out, and slumps forward on the stick, forcing the plane back down. The Rangers anticipate a flashy maneuver to cap it all off, but that gets turned to horror as the plane disappears in a massive fireball. The Ranger get as close as they dare, as the fire burns, engulfing what's left. The lone fire engine pulls up, and puts out the flames. No signs of life. Out of nowhere, sounds of pounding emanate within the cockpit. After a couple of shots, the hatch breaks free, arcs through the air, and skids to a stop on the run way. Fire and smoke billow from the cockpit. One hand emerges. It's badly burned, and nearly disfigured. Another hand hand emerges. This time it's purely mechanical. The real Dillon lifts himself out of the cockpit, and reveal himself for what he really is: A cyborg disguised as a human. What's left of his flesh slowly burns and falls off. He walks over and stops in front of the Rangers.

"I'm back."

His voice has become a deep bass. The Rangers gape in total shock. It wears off when Dillon collapses to one knee. They try to help him up. He seems in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"I have extensive damage. I can't go on like this."

"We'll get you back to the Power Chamber."

Upon hearing this, Tommy becomes disgusted and it shows. All the Rangers, except Tommy, teleport back to the Center. Alone, he looks around at the destruction and carnage. A lone figure walks up to him. It's her.

"What's wrong Tommy?"

"Why do they do this? Why are they being merciful to him? He's killed thousands."

"What about you? Maybe we weren't exactly thrilled about you joining us all those years ago. We had our doubts too. Think about it: You almost killed us, you destroyed our zords. You and Rita almost conquered this planet. But the five of us were willing to leave it behind for your sake. Try returning the favor. Besides, letting him die wouldn't prove anything. You would be just as bad as he was. So tell me, can you do that?"

"Yes."

"_Will_ you do that?"

Tommy turns away, and scowls.

"Don't run from me Tommy. Not now. There's too much at stake here."

"Don't give me that shit! Don't even go there! You're nothing but a hypocrite! You ran from us first, need I remind you of that? Don't preach at me, little girl."

"Speaking of which, where is our daughter? With Zedd coming, it's only a matter of time before he finds her."

"I know, you keep telling me that."

"It doesn't seem to be sinking in though. Do you not care?"

"WHAT? How dare you accuse me of not loving her? How. Dare. You."

"Then find her!"

By now, quite a few people have gathered and are watching the exchange. One of them has a camera.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"Why don't the two of you get a room or something!"

Tommy looks back at Kim in total shock.

"Wait...you're really here?"

"Yes. I came as soon as I heard. Too late it seemed. Tell you what: come back to my place, and we can finish this argument there."

"Sounds good."

Later that night, Tommy has checked in, and updated everyone as to his whereabouts. Dillon was put under, and Alpha, Nova and Mack began repairing his damaged systems. Apparently the crash did more damage then initially predicted. But, he would pull through, and make a total recovery. Tommy and Kim sit across from each other at the dining room table. Steaming cups of coffee sit untouched, as both of them are lost in thought. Tommy decides to break the awkward silence...

"I don't begrudge you wanting to have a normal career. If you remember, I supported you in making that decision. You could've handled it a little differently. What was going through your mind when you disappeared in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know. All I remember was feeling crushed when I had to put everything on hold when I became pregnant. After Alaine was born, I saw my life slipping away. I knew I couldn't be a professional gymnast and a new mother at the same time. So I made a decision. A decision I regretted everyday of my life."

"You don't know what it was like to have to hear day after day, year after year, 'Where's mommy? Where's mommy?' Being a single parent wasn't easy. Especially when I was off trying to save the world all those times. Not that it mattered. I ended up losing her anyway."

"What happened?"

"What do you think happened? CPS. Declared me an unfit parent. Used some legalistic bullshit to taker her from me."

"It was all because of me. Your life got fucked up because of me!"

She starts to cry. Tommy moves to a chair next to her, and puts his hand on hers.

"We all make mistakes. The question is, how do we move on from here."

"How do we go back? How do we go on when there's no going back?"

"Who said there wasn't?"

A quietness settles over the house as they contemplate where this could be going. The digital clock on the microwave rolls over midnight.

"It's late, we better get to bed."

Realizing the moment is shattered, Tommy gets up and goes to the couch. He unrolls a blanket and pillow.

"You know what? I have something here for you. Follow me."

Tommy follows her to the bedroom. She takes a pair of pajamas out of a drawer and hands them to him.

"No way."

"I held onto those the last time you stayed here. Just in case."

He unfolds them, revealing them to be Power Ranger pajamas.

"I don't remember these designs..."

"I added those myself. Gave me an excuse to try out the sewing machine my mom gave me."

"You did a good job."

"Thanks. See if they fit."

"OK."

Tommy takes of his shirt, revealing his heavily scarred torso.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?"

"Dillon and Mack ambushed me. They took me to Zedd's palace where I was tortured for days on end."

"Does...does it hurt?"

"Sometimes."

Tears well up in her eyes again, as she imagines what happened to him. He cups her face in his hands.

"None of that. I'm alright now. I'm here."

"It's just...I hate seeing you like this."

"It'll be fine."

"Tommy, I-"

"I know. I love you too."

He takes her in his arms, and they begin kissing passionately. She tosses her robe to the floor. Slowly, he slides her nightgown over her shoulders. It flows over her trim, athletic body, and also collects on the floor. As they continue to make love, a ball of energy collects at the base of her stomach. It grows and grows. Her breath comes in quick bursts as Tommy's love becomes her, and becomes her everything. Tommy's mind stops as he adapts to being in the moment. Loving her, melting into her, being one body with her. The last pieces of her will are shattered, as she is completely overcome with raw, primal emotion. The ball of energy in the pit of her stomach reaches critical mass. It explodes through her body, setting her nerves on fire, and sending her mind spiraling towards ecstasy. Later that night, as they cuddle together, Kim rolls over, and is greeted by the ugly face of Zedd.

"I'm back. And I'm coming to get you!"

She sits up, screaming. Tommy wakes with a start.

"What? What is it?"

Kim looks around, the idea of it being a dream sinking in.

"Nothing. It was nothing."

"It didn't seem like nothing."

"Hold me."

They lock into each other's arms, and stay there until morning. The bright sunlight shines right in Tommy's eyes, finally stirring him awake. The smell of freshly made coffee fills his mind, as is the air itself was made of caffeine. He looks around, and doesn't see Kim. He pulls his clothes on, and walks out to the kitchen, where he's greeted by a hug and a kiss. All she's wearing is a bright pink robe.

"Good morning, Mr. Oliver. It's about time you got up."

They kiss some more.

"I had to at some point. Is the coffee ready yet?"

"It is. You still drink it black?"

"You know me too well."

She puts the coffee in front of them. Kim looks directly into Tommy's eyes, and gazes with wonder.

"What? What's with that look?"

"We're back. After all these years, I realized what I've been missing in my life."

"What's that?"

"You. I know after all these years, it may not mean anything, but I never stopped loving you. After I left, it felt like a part of me was ripped out. It hurt. But last night...I feel whole again."

"I know what you mean. I felt the same way. Looking back, I can't believe that I tried to feel the same way about Katherine that I did for you. I never forgave myself for that. Then you were on TV that one time. That was a treat."

"I remember. I also remember coming in last."

"It was rigged, no doubts there."

"Heh, I wish. Whatever happened to Katherine?"

"After we left the Power Rangers, she tried to become a ballerina. She became pretty good at it."

"That's nice. Maybe after all this is over, we can have a reunion, or something."

With that, their communicators go off.

"What is it Zordon?"

"The both of you are needed at the Command Center right away. It's urgent!"

"We're on our way."

"I wonder what the big rush is."

"He sounded desperate."

"Wait- I can't go like this!"

"Why not?"

"Real funny. Go ahead and go. I'm on my way."

"Alright."

He teleports away, and lands in the middle of the Chamber. All the Rangers stand around Lord Zedd.

"Whoa. You're dead!"

Tommy tries a complicated jump kick, buts falls through and lands on his back.

"He's using a hologram."

"So I noticed..."

"Now that all of you are here, I won't have to repeat myself."

"Make this quick Zedd."

"Shut up you moronic blue blob! Now listen to me: As you know, I am about to launch a horrific attack upon the Earth. This attack will coincide with the completion of my morph blocking machine."

Kim teleports in, and stands amazed at who's before you.

"Why tell us this?"

"I am giving you a chance to redeem yourselves for your colossal failure. Meet me at Angel Grove Park, at noon tomorrow. Beat me in a fight, and I will surrender."

"Your lying! Just like the way you lied to us!"

"Ignore me at your own peril, Rangers!"

The hologram dissolves and dies. All that's left is the frisbee sized projector.

"What do we do?"

"We have 24 hours to find that machine. No way he's going to let us walk into this armed. Regardless of whether it's a trap or not. Mack, Dillon, you spent time in the enemy camp. Any idea where it would be?"

"No. He ever said anything."

"There's only person that would know."

"Finster. We have to get to him. Or get him to come to us."

"Alpha, can you get us in touch with him?"

"I can try. It will be difficult."

"While we're waiting...There's no way Zedd is coming alone. He may be powerful, but he's not stupid. He'll be bringing back up."

"The Psycho Rangers."

"For sure."

Alpha picks up the projector and weighs it in his hands.

"Maybe we can use this to communicate with him."

Tooling around in his workshop, Finster finishes the final touches on his clay model. A sudden breath interrupts his concentration, making him drop his tools all over the floor. He turns, and spots his lord and master.

"My lord. How can I serve you."

"It's not safe to talk around here. I have a suspicion that Zordon may have found a way to spy on us. Meet me in the quarry outside Angel Grove. It's urgent!"

"I am on my way, Lord."

He disappears in a flash of white light. He reappears deep in a quarry. He carefully makes his way forward, wary of his unknown surroundings. Right behind him, an explosion goes off, startling him. While dazed, two Rangers grab him. He then passes out. He awaken in the middle of an empty room, with mack an Dillon on either side of him.

"What do you want?"

''We want the location of the morph blocking machine."

"You won't get it. That is a secret I will carry with me to the grave."

"That could easily be arranged. But just know that we're not going to hurt you. Look: you're not even tied down."

"Why?"

"We've renounced our ways. We're trying to save lives here."

"Good for you. I'll tell you anything, except that location."

"Let me ask you something: do you think that your service to Zedd has been rewarded?"

"What do you mean?"

"All those years you spent serving Rita and Zedd, do you think that they appreciated what you did for them?"

"Yes."

"Really? Then how come, to this day, you haven't even received a 'thank you' from either of them?"

"Because taking over the galaxy takes a lot of time."

"That's a pitiful excuse, and you know it. Face it Finster: They take your genius for granted. You were a tool as far as they were concerned."

"No! It's not true! That's impossible!"

"Yeah? Prove to us otherwise."

"I-I can't."

"Exactly. Look, we understand that you were just following orders. Help us find that machine, and we'll give you amnesty."

"I will never betray my lord and master!"

"Even if it meant your life?"

"Especially."

"Alright. Listen, you know what's at stake here. Think about our deal. We'll be right outside."

Mack and Dillon leave Finster alone in the room to think about the deal. They rejoin the Rangers in the main chamber.

"This is fucking insane! You would give the master mind behind Zedd's armies room and board! That freak deserves to fry for his crimes!"

"What crimes, Blake? He was only following orders to save his own life. You would to."

"Don't be so sure. I would kill myself before taking orders like that."

"Then what? You get replaced. Finster may prove useful to us. Until then, respect it. Got it?"

"Just because I agree, doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I'm not asking you to like it."

Dillon sits on the floor. Karone sits too, and begins massaging his shoulders.

"What's the matter, Dillon? You seem tense."

"We're only a day from facing total annihilation. So you can forgive me."

"No problem."

"We wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't run off with Zedd!"

"Give it a rest Tommy. We were trying to save Earth."

"I don't want to hear that shit! Everything that has happened is your fault! It's about time you took responsibility for your actions!"

Dillon tears himself away from Karone and and answers the challenge.

"What are you going to do about it? Hit me? Go ahead! Right here! Right now! Maybe you'll feel better. DO IT!"

Tommy pulls back, and throws a punch, but stops just short due to Kim's interference. Everyone stares in utter amazement.

"Stop it, Tommy! Knock it off!"

"Get out of the way."

"Make me!"

The air crackles with tension, as the two lovers stare each other down, in a battle of wills.

"I love you Tommy, but this is going too far. Stop this."

"Why?"

"I'm not going to put up with you if you're going to be acting like this all the time. What he did was wrong, and atrocious, but you need to learn to forgive."

"Fine. But only for you."

"That's better. Now apologize to each other."

They shake hands, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

"What we did was wrong. But maybe now we can make up for it."

"You have one chance. Don't waste it."

Back in the room, Finster continues to pace back and forth. Various feelings and emotions war within him. Feelings of loyalty, betrayal, trust, and freedom. Could he do it? Could he turn on his own master? Billions of lives were in his hands. This one decision would either save them or damn them. For once in his life, in the care of the Rangers ironically, he experienced kindness, compassion, and mercy. What of his own life? It would be forfeit. He would have to hide out forever, being unable to enter public life. He was no human. And no disguise would ever hide that. Still, the one opportunity to do something great. He makes a decision, and walks from the room. The door opens, The Rangers stand and look. Finster looks rather distressed as the weight of the future comes crashing down on him.

"Larana. It's on Larana."

Dillon pulls out a remote, and point it at the holo-map. It zooms in one planet, in a far flung corner of the galaxy.

"Larana. Never heard of it."

"And you never will. It's the only planet not attacked in the war because it's deserted."

The map zooms in further, revealing a barren surface, with no vegetation whatsoever. A land of ghosts.

"As you can see it's perfect. Deserted, no one around. In a place no one would ever look. And its core is close to the surface, so we could power the machine just on geo-thermal power. It would be the only way to get enough power to fire the wave deep into space. Unfortunately it wasn't ready in time."

"How come?"

"We had some...construction delays."

The map zooms outs.

"As you can see, the planet is surrounded by black holes. We didn't actually know until several ships were sucked in and torn apart. Just recently we found a path through them."

On the map, a neon purple line traces from space to the planet's surface.

"The other downside is that the holes orbit the planet, so careful timing would be a necessity."

"That's where it is?"

"Yes."

"How do we know it's not another trap?"

Finster pulls another remote from his pocket, and pushes a button. The image turns to an on the ground point of view, revealing the sprawling facility.

"And if was a trap, I wouldn't be going with you."

"You want to come?"

"I know an underground passage that will take you right to the core. Bypasses all the security, defenses, everything."

"That being the case, we should leave right away. Prepare for teleportation."

"No. It's won't work. The black holes throw off the grid, making it virtually impossible. You could try to teleport. But there's no telling where you would end up. On the surface, or in the middle of space. You could even end up inside one of the holes."

"We would have to fly."

"Perhaps you did not hear me when I said we had to take ships there."

"My bad."

"We still need a ship."

Mack taps his wrist communicator.

"I got it covered."

He pushes a button, and a beeping sound echoes throughout the chamber, through space, all the way to Zedd's palace. Seconds later, a giant ship arrives from hyperspace, and hovers over the Power Chamber.

"_One Justice_, Mack?"

"A little souvenir left over from the war. Thought it might come in handy."

"Good thinking. Now, who's going?"

"I am."

"We know, Finster. Who else?"

No one moves, or says anything.

"What? Just me, Mack and Finster? That's it?"

"Consider this a test of loyalty. Make it back, and we'll know you're sincere."

"That's not fair Tommy. What if we die in the process?"

"So be it."

"Tommy!"

"What?"

Kim shakes her head in utter disbelief.

"Fine. Let's go."

The trio make use of the ship's gravity lift, and board it. They take their seats in the cockpit, with Finster in the navigator's chair.

"You know how to use that?"

"Of course. I designed this vessel, and I helped build it."

"Good."

The ship lifts off, and heads for space. Alone in the darkness, the ship orients itself. Space. Cold, empty, and vast. Truly a place where someone could go to get lost. But that was the danger. Even being off by one degree could mean being millions of miles off course. And if that happened, there would be no returning.

"Coordinates locked in."

"Let's burn sky then."

The ship disappears in a flash of light.

Back in the chamber, Kim angrily confronts Tommy.

"What is with you?"

"Nothing."

"You practically begged them to go on this suicide mission knowing full well they wouldn't be coming back!"

"Then maybe there's justice left somewhere in the universe. It's a fate they deserve."

How dare you!"

"Oh, God, what now?"

"Those are two live we're talking about. Why would you wish death on them?"

"Like I said: they deserve it."

In a fit of rage, she slaps him hard on the cheek. Tommy becomes furious and gets in her face.

"Until you change your attitude, you will never see me again."

"Where are you going?"

"To find my daughter. Something you apparently aren't interested in."

She teleports away, leaving the chamber bathed in utter silence. The Rangers are shocked by the turn of events. Back in space, the pilots and the navigator man the controls, making sure everything works OK, and getting ready for final approach.

"Dillon. Congratulations. You got your wish."

"Thanks. I wish it hadn't almost killed me."

"Where'd you learn to fly like that?"

"Venjix. The virus he infected me with somehow gave me the ability to fly almost anything."

"Did you say 'Venjix'?

"I did, Finster. Why?"

"If memory serves me correctly, Venjix was the name of one of the generals that served under King Mondo of the Machine Empire. Back in 2002, he had tried to resurrect Serpentera, and go on a rampage. He was destroyed by Cole, the Red Wild Force Ranger."

"Really? Then how- Dr. K."

"Excuse me?"

"When Dr K. was imprisoned, she managed to create a virus to disrupt all systems, allowing her to escape. However, the virus turned on her. It took over a factory, and started pumping out robot armies. Eventually the city of Corinth was the only city left not burned by the Grinders. Here, Dr. K. created the Ranger powers to beat back the Grinders, and all of Venjix's monstrous creations."

"Wait. If he was destroyed, then how was he resurrected a couple hundred years later?"

"His data core was recovered on the moon. Still intact, and fully functioning."

"I see."

"We're coming up on the planet."

"Here we go: cutting in the sublight engines...now."

Dillon flips a series of switches, and the ship reverts to real space. The planet sits in the distance. On the window, a transparent gridded map appears, with the preferred path highlighted.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm betting my life on it."

"Roger that."

"Go slow. No use in trying to make course corrections at hundreds of knots."

_One Justice _barely accelerates forward, making its way through the invisible minefield of black holes. The slightest error would result in a complete an utter destruction. They finally take a breath as the ship breaks the atmosphere, and the surface comes into view.

"Sensors have been placed in the ground to detect approaching ships. We'll have to land on the outskirts, and head the rest of the way on foot."

The planet is bathed in darkness, considering no light can reach the surface. Lights shine in the distance. The ship lightly touches down, kicking up dirt and dust in its wake. The ramp lowers, and the trio carefully makes their way outside, waving flashlights back and forth. Wastelands stretch as far as the eye can see, if one could. The occasional dead tree pokes up from the ground, seemingly in defiance of the conditions. The air is still and the wind does not blow. The ground hums and lightly vibrates with the running of the machines underground.

"The secret entrance is in a cliff wall only a couple miles south from here. The sensor web doesn't come out this far, so we won't have to worry about it."

"What about spies?"

"Spies? For what? Nobody knows this is here."

"Good point. The day isn't getting any shorter. Let's move out."

The make their way across the wastes, heading towards a cliff wall in the distance. On Earth, A Jeep 4x4 pulls up in front of a nice house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Kimberly takes a look around, and jumps out. She slowly makes her way to the door, and takes a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. A charming melody streams from it, like there's nothing wrong in the world.

"Just a minute! Coming!"

A few seconds later, the door opens.

"Kimberly!"

"Hey, Katherine!"

"Come in, come in!"

They quickly embrace.

"This is a surprise! What brings you by today?"

"I came to see my daughter."

"Of course, of course. Alaine! Mummy's here!''

"Mom!"

The 14 year old runs into the room and into the arms of her mother.

"I missed you, sweetheart."

"I missed you, too. What's going on?"

"Well, would you like to come with me for the day? We'll go do something fun, OK?"

"Can I Katherine?"

"You don't have to ask."

"Great! Thanks! I'll be back!"

She runs off again.

"Thank you. For everything."

"It's no problem. Really. She's wonderful. I can see where she gets it."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Is something wrong? It looks like somethings bothering you."

"It's...nothing."

"I know you better then that."

"Me and Tommy are back together."

"Hey, good for you. It's what you wanted right?"

''Yeah, but somethings different about him though. He's become short tempered, and doesn't seem to care anymore."

"What happened to him?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I get back."

"OK."

Alaine comes back with a small backpack.

"I have a little homework to do."

"That's fine. We'll find a place to do it. Thanks again, Kat, you're a good friend."

"You're welcome!"

Hugs all around, then Kim and her daughter leave. Kat watches with concern as they bound into the jeep and drive off.

"May the power protect you, Kimberly. Both of you."

She goes back inside, and shuts the door. Back on Larana, the trio arrives at the cliff wall. They scan it with their flashlights looking for anything that might be a door, or some kind of entryway.

"Alright, Finster. Where is it?"

Finster scans the ground, and eventually his light splashes over a small dead bush.

''There. Just pull on it."

Mack and Dillon pull hard on it, revealing it to be the handle of a long chain. They keep pulling, opening a hatch that leads underground. They shine their lights around, and a set of stairs comes into view.

"Down we go. Dillon, get the door."

As they go down, he pulls on the hatch, shutting it behind them.

"You can shut off those torches. We won't need them."

Finster flicks a switch, and light after light comes on. A few break upon activation. They walk down the hall.

"This tunnel leads right to the core. Like I said, only I know where this is, so we have nothing to worry about."

"Blow up the core, and that's it?"

"Yes. But I warn you: it is heavily guarded. A couple of my prototype Supertrons are guarding it."

"Supertrons?"

"Yes. You remember the model I was building, right?"

"I remember."

"Before that, I sculpted a few early concepts. Then I brought them to life."

"How many?"

"Just two."

"No problem."

On Earth, the Jeep speeds down the highway. On the radio, a reporter gives details about a weapons malfunction at a nearby Air Force base. Alaine looks out, a sees an odd structure rising up from the foothills outside the city. She stares in wonder as it gleams in the noon sun.

"What is that?"

"That's where we're going?"

"Really? Cool!"

"Very cool."

On Larana, our heroes reach the end of the tunnel. A ladder built into the wall rises before them, ending in another hatch.

"Through there?

"Yes. That hatch leads to another tunnel which connects directly to the core."

"Let's move out."

They slowly begin ascending the ladder. Half way up, one of Mack's rungs gives way, and rips off the wall. Screaming, he falls, but Dillon caches him.

"Oh...thanks."

"Don't make it a habit, alright? Now, hang on."

Dillon throws him back up, just past the broken rung. Mack grabs on, and begins climbing again. They reach the top. Mack pushes open the hatch, draws his blaster, and sweeps the immediate area. Satisfied, he climbs out, and helps the others do the same. They find themselves in an empty corridor.

"Where are we?"

"The corridor is completely sealed off from the rest of the installation."

He points down the hallway.

"That way leads directly to the core."

They begin walking.

"Why doesn't anyone use this hall?"

"The door requires three different passwords to open. Passwords only I know. Even then, it's an emergency hallway. No use in using it under normal conditions."

They keep walking down the stark white hall. In the Power Chamber, mother and daughter walk in. Everyone turns to look to see who has arrived.

"DAD!"

Alaine sprints across the room, and right into Tommys arms.

"Alaine! It's so good to see you again!"

"I missed you, daddy."

"Missed you too sweetheart."

She gazes in wonder at her new surroundings. She marvels at the hi-tech equipment, the power suits hanging in their individual tubes. The droid that stares back at her.

"What's your name?"

"Alpha 5."

"Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Alaine."

He goes back to work, and she spots the giant floating head.

"Welcome, Alaine. I am Zordon."

Her eyes go wide with wonder, as if its something out of a dream. She's at a loss for words. The other Rangers greet her one by one.

"So, you guys are Power Rangers?"

"Sure are."

"But that must mean-mom?"

"Yes?"

"Are...? No."

"What?"

"It can't be. Are you-"

"Yes. I'm a Power Ranger. And so is your father."

"Dad? Is it true?"

"Sure is."

He walks over and embrace Kim.

"As a matter of fact, that's how I met your mom."

"This is incredible! Does that mean I can be a Ranger too?"

"Not exactly. You have to be old enough, not to mention all the training, and personal sacrifice that goes along with it."

"She's only fourteen, Tommy."

"She asked."

"It's alright; It doesn't matter. This is so cool!"

Mack, Dillon, and Finster emerge in the core. A spiraling tube of energy ascends before them. It emits a low hum, one that is more felt than heard. The room is a dome shape, and a bank of computers line one side. They constantly beep, and make other noises.

"Any structural weak points we should be aware of?"

"Yes. You can plant charges anywhere along the ceiling to make the room collapse on itself, destroying the core, and ultimately, this installation."

Before they can get to work, another slides open with a whoosh. Two monstrous Supertrons emerge, wielding double bladed staffs. Their armor is somewhat intricate and imposing. They make their stand on either side of the core. They spin their staffs in sync with each other. They look the Rangers up and down...

"It's them."

"The anomalies."

"Do we proceed?"

"Yes."

"They are still..."

"...Only human."

"RPM! Get in Gear! Nitro Sword!"

"Overdrive Accelerate! Drive lance!"

Despite having the new morphers, and their upgrades, its an even battle. In the cramped quarters, the Rangers adopt defensive forms. Despite their skills, they made a fatal error: Quantrons, being hardcore killing machines, don't get tired. Slowly being driven back, and apart from each other. As time goes on, they wear down and begin to make mistakes. The Rangers begin to take hits. Soon, they're driven to the floor. One of the Supertrons kicks Dillon's sword away.

"You are Terminated!"

Just as it is about to bring a heavy boot on Dillon's face, a sword pokes through its chest. Then the blade comes all the way through, with a CPU impaled on it. The Supertron flails around for a bit, then collapses to the floor. Finster stands there, amazed at what he just did. Suddenly, he goes down, having taken a blaster shot to the back. Dillon scoops up his sword, and leaps at the remaining Supertron, who, until this point, was choking Mack with one hand. With a renewed vigor, Dillon launches a flurry of attacks, driving back the Supertron. Slowly recovering, Mack gets to his feet. While the Supertron is locked up with Dillon, Mack stabs his lance through the 'Tron's neck, and gives it a violent twist, sending the head flying. The body falls to the ground. Mack checks on Finster, who is already dead. They finish setting the charges.

"I'm setting the detonator for five minutes. That will give us enough time to get away from here."

"Sounds good."

Dillon flips a switch, and tosses it into the room. They take off running down the hallway. The timer slowly counts down to zero. As they emerge from the cliff wall, a massive explosion rocks the surface of the planet, and the entire installation disappears in a mushroom cloud. They get back in the ship, and quickly lift off. The ship burns sky, and makes the jump back to hyperspace, back to home. In the Power Chamber, Alaine works on her homework. The Rangers begin to plan for tomorrow. Except for Tommy and Kim. They converse by themselves.

"Should we tell her?"

"Now?"

"Why not? Who knows when we're going to get another opportunity?"

"I agree, but this may not be the place for it."

"Where would you prefer? Proper accommodations aren't exactly available."

"In any case, you think she's ready to hear this? She's only fourteen."

"How old were you when you found out you had a brother?"

"The Zeo quest. That's when I found out I had a biological brother."

"How did you feel?"

"Floored. I was a little angry that no one told me. At first. Then I got over it."

"Exactly. Tommy, imagine how our daughter's going to feel when we tell her the truth."

"What choice do we have? If we're going to be a family again, it's going to come up sooner or later. Preferably sooner. Get it out of the way."

Kim looks over at Alaine, who packs up her homework. She smiles at her mom, and she smiles back.

"I don't want her to resent us."

"I know."

"Alaine?"

"Yes?"

"Come over here, please."

"What is it, mom?"

"Let's go for a walk."

Discretely, the other Rangers watch the shattered family walk out. Zordon peers at them with a thoughtful expression on his face. Tommy leads them up higher into the hills. They come to a bluff that overlooks the entire city. The view is exquisite. The breeze is cool, and the sun begins it's descent into evening.

"Alaine, it's time we told you the truth."

"Truth about what? I already know who you are."

"It's time we told you the truth about your past. For everything you think you know about is...well, a lie."

"Wait, what? I don't get you dad."

''What your father is trying to say is that, obviously, we're not the happy family you think we are."

"I can see that. If we were, we'd be living together."

"It's not that. Close, but no. Me and your mom have been separated for almost the past 15 years."

"What? Why?"

"When I was the Pink Ranger, I had been preparing to become a professional gymnast. Then I became pregnant with you. Despite the setback, I tried to keep going. I tried fulfilling my duty, and keep myself in shape. When I was going to start showing, I made up my mind and left the team. Then I returned home, so I could concentrate on keeping myself healthy for you."

"That's where I come in. Of all the Rangers, I was the only one who knew she was pregnant. I decided to try and make the best of the situation. I took it upon myself to raise you the best of my God-given ability. But juggling the responsibilities of being a Ranger, and a new parent proved to be...stressful."

"After you were born, I got a call from my coach saying he needed candidates for the 2012 Olympic team. Which meant tryouts. Which meant getting back in shape. One night after I was done feeding you, I put you to bed, then I made a decision. The worst decision I ever made. I packed a bag, gathered what money I could, and abandoned you."

"You can imagine how I felt. Every negative emotion under the sun made a home in my heart. Some time later CPS found out what happened. Then they took you to an orphanage."

"Then Katherine adopted me. I sort of remember that."

"Now you know the whole story."

Alaine gazes out at the city. A variety of emotions play across her face. Sadness, anger, fear. She turns back to them, tears running down her face. She takes a couple steps away from them, like her parents are a couple of ghosts.

"Alaine? Sweetheart?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Sobbing loudly, she runs back into the Chamber, and collapses in a corner, her wails echo off the walls. The male Rangers look at her strangely. The females quietly accost them. Alyssa walks over to her.

"Alaine?"

"Leave me alone."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No!"

She curls up and faces the corner.

"If you do, I'm here."

Her supplications fall on deaf ears. Alyssa rejoins the others. Outside, a loud boom sounds, announcing the return of _One Justice._ It touches down, and the two Rangers disembark. They enter the Chamber, and see everyone wearing long faces. A girl cries to herself in the corner. Tommy and Kim follow them in.

"How was the mission?"

"Total success. Finster is dead, though. Took a blaster round for me."

"Good. Then everything is ready for tomorrow."

The girl picks herself of the floor, and joins them.

"What's tomorrow?"

"You sure you want to hear this?"

"May as well. You haven't spared me yet."

"Alaine-"

"Don't want to hear it dad. What is it?"

"We have to save the world."

"There's a shocker..."

"It's serious. If we lose, everything will be lost."

"Really? It's that bad?"

"Don't be so glib."

"Whatever. Just don't get killed."

"ALAINE!"

"Let her go, Tommy. Let her go."

She goes and sits again, a thunderstorm of anger etched on her face. The Rangers look at each other, as an awkward silence falls on them like a heavy weight.

"Is she-"

"None of your business. We have an important battle coming up. Everybody get ready."

Everyone spends the rest of the day training, and sparring. Alpha runs some simulations, trying to see what the odds are of winning. Alaine picks herself back up, and walks over to the controls.

"Alpha?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Um...can you show me how to use the teleportation?''

"Sure. Say where you want to go, then push this button right here."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Thanks."

She goes and sits on the floor again. A minute later Alyssa comes back in, towel wrapped around her shoulders, and she sips out of a water bottle. She too sits on the floor.

"I know somethings bothering you."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"It'll make you feel better."

"Not interested."

"Your lucky, you know. I never knew my family."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was adopted at birth. I was lucky that I had a foster family to take care of me."

"Was it difficult?"

"It was. They never really paid attention to me. My foster dad was an alcoholic, and my foster mom had chronic depression. So, when I turned 18, I moved out and got my own place, my own job, then I became a Wild Force Ranger."

"What happened to them?"

"My dad was killed in car accident. My mom shot herself. The funerals were awkward, that's for sure. Point being, Alaine, you should consider yourself blessed for having two parent that love you."

"If they did, we would be together. They abandoned me, plain and simple."

"But they're here now. And at least they want to make up for lost time."

"How do you make for fourteen years though? All the birthdays, holidays...there's nothing there."

"The first step is to forgive them."

"Forgive them?"

"Yes. Understand the pressures of raising a newborn, and protecting the world is just too much for the both of them. At least they tried their best."

"I guess..."

"Think about it, OK? I wold be willing to bet that deep down inside you, you want to be a family again."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The other Rangers come back in, and begin conversing.

"Alright, Rangers, back to my place for dinner and showers!"

They teleport out leaving Alaine behind by herself. She crosses the chamber and looks into Zordon's thoughtful gaze.

"Zordon, why am I here?"

"You are Alaine Jewel Hart. Daughter of Kimberly Ann Hart and Tommy Oliver. If Lord Zedd were to find out who you are, he would stop at nothing to capture you. Then he would torture and twist you into an instrument of destruction."

"Who's Lord Zedd?"

"The self proclaimed 'Emperor of Evil'. He will stop at nothing to subjugate the galaxy and bring dominion to everything within reach. That's why you are here: for your protection."

"Fun times. What can I do?"

"For the time being: nothing. Zedd's power is great. Maybe greater than all the Rangers combined."

"OK..."

The next day, all the Rangers have gathered at the Power Chamber. No one says a word, as they wait for the hammer to fall. They look around at each other anxiously, waiting for the alarm to blare, announcing the arrival of Lord Zedd. The holomap displays a countdown to noon. Kim walks over and sits next to her daughter.

"Whatever happens, stay here, OK?''

"I will, mom."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"I love you."

She kisses the top of Alaine's head and rejoins the others. Suddenly, the alarms blare, and a large red blob appears in Angel Grove Park.

"You know the music. Time to dance!"

They teleport out, leaving the Chamber in total silence.

"I love you too, mom."

"Don't worry, Alaine. Your parents will be just fine. You'll see."

"Thanks, Alpha."

In the park, the line of Rangers walk towards their target. Lord Zedd stand still with his arms crossed. The mood is that of the gunfight at the OK Corral. Anger burns in the eyes of the Rangers. Their reasons for winning are wide and varied. For Tommy and Kim, its about putting the past to rest, and protecting their daughter. For Ashley, its about doing something great with her life. Karone, its slaying her demons, once and for all. Alyssa, its for the innocent lives lost. Blake, its about reclaiming himself, and reliving the glory days. For Nova, its about ensuring the future is still there when she goes back. For Daggeron, its avenging his friend that has become twisted and evil. Mack and Dillon...righting everything that's wrong in the galaxy. Despite all that, they're united in purpose.


	6. Chapter 6: Showdown In Angel Grove

**Chapter 6**

**Showdown at Angel Grove**

"LET'S DO IT!"

"HAHAHA! Your impudence always amazes me Red Ranger. And just because there are ten of you doesn't mean you have the advantage."

With that, Zedd point his staff upwards, and lightning flies from it. Puddles of goo appear, and slowly stand up, and take their rightful forms.

"Go psycho!"

Armor appears and folds over the Psycho Rangers.

"Psycho Rangers!"

The air is filled with electricity as both sides itch for battle.

"We'll show you how it's really done...LET'S DO IT GUYS!"

"Right!"

"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME! DRAGONZORD!'

"It's Morphin' Time! Pterodactyl!"

"Let's rocket! Yellow Space Ranger!'

"Go Galactic! Pink Galaxy Ranger!''

"Wild Access! White Tiger Ranger!''

"Thunderstorm Ranger Form! Power of Thunder!"

"SPD Emergency! Nova Ranger!"

"Magical Source Mystic Force! With the Power of the Sun! Solaris Knight!''

"Overdrive Accelerate! Red Overdrive Ranger!"

"RPM! Get In Gear! Ranger Series Black!"

The good Rangers strike a pose. Fireworks, and different colored smoke go off behind them. After all that, Tommy looks directly at Zedd.

"We can handle them."

"Handle us? You'll handle us? Your predecessors had much more respect! It's a game, it's only a game. Now let's see where this goes. Psychos: get the Rangers."

"Our pleasure."

The Psychos rush in, and engage the Rangers. Punches, kicks, and body blows are exchanged, in what can only be called a test of skill. While the Rangers have experience to fall back on, the Psychos have their sheer determination. While possessing virtually none of the skill of the real Rangers, they can shrug off their blows due to their liquid metal makeup. Zedd looks on, quietly stewing, given the apparent lack of progress in the battle. The Rangers are slowly separated and drawn into their own one on one confrontations. By now, various weapons come into play. They flash back and forth, gleaming in the sun. Despite being sliced and chopped, the Psychos recover from their wounds. As the minutes stretch into almost an hour, the Rangers begin to feel the strain, as their efforts amount to nothing. Their moves become slower and slower, and the beatings start to reverse. In a last desperate maneuver, Kim back flips, pulls out her blade blaster, and lays into Psycho Pink. Screaming in pain, Pink melts into a pile of glop, and evaporates. The battle stops, and everyone stares in amazement. The Rangers regroup, and open up with blaster fire. Seconds later, the Psychos melt and disappear. Zedd doesn't seem at all surprised, and approaches.

"Well, you have some skill. But it will not be enough."

"The ten of us are more than a match for you!"

"Yeah? Prove it.''

The Rangers charge again. With a speed that defies his age and build, he twirls his staff in intricate arcs, beating back the Rangers. His reflexes are impossibly fast. No Ranger is able to get more than two or three shots in before they're pummeled. During a break in the action, Zedd infuses his staff with lightning. It detonates on every impact, sending blasts of electricity through the Rangers' bodies. The blasts are painful enough to leave the Rangers squirming on the ground for a few seconds. Tommy rushes forward, and engages Zedd in one on one combat. His Dragon Dagger sings, as it cuts the air, matching Zedd move for move. They lock up.

"Before this is over, I'm going to kill you!"

Zedd breaks away, and with one good blow knocks Tommy to his knees.

"I should be rid of you now. But i want you to see this."

Zedd hauls Kim off the ground with one arm. With the other, he rips off her Morpher and tosses it away, making her revert to her normal form. She struggles helplessly in his grasp.

"You will not enjoy this!"

He delivers a series of punches and high knees to her face and torso. Satisfied, he tosses her away, and she slams against a tree. Meekly looking up she can see her Morpher laying a few feet away. Pain from every bone and joint sets in. Nausea wracks her brain with promises of false relief. Her Morpher sparkles in the grass. She reaches for it, while the image of Lord Zedd slowly stalks towards her. In her point of view, her fingers are a few inches away. Out of nowhere, a pair of shoes steps in front of her, and pick the morpher. Looking up, her view of is obstructed by the sun. All she can see is long, gleaming blonde hair. The girl turns the morpher over in her hands. She puts her hand through the handle. Zedd is amazed by who stands before him.

"Don't you know who I am? I will destroy you forever!"

Tommy gets on his knees, and sees who it is.

"No! Alaine! It's too big of a risk!"

Kim shakes her head clear, and the reality of the situation quickly sinks in. She's still too weak to get up.

"Alaine! No! Don't!"

"Don't do it!"

''IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"

The Morpher's power courses over and through her body. The pterodactyl suit melts over her. The Morpher gives her a boost to her height, and overall body mass. her muscles fill out, and knowledge of martial arts and battle tactics fill her mind.

"Whoa! What a rush!"

Zedd lets out a blood curdling roar, and recklessly runs in. Alaine jumps off a tree, and flips over his head. She does a series of back flips and rolls, dodging blows, until she can create some separation.

"What have I done? What will I do? What will I do?"

"Power Bow!"

A bright white bow appears in Alaine's hands. Zedd twirls his staff once, and charges in again. Not willing to back down, Alaine uses her new bow as a melee weapon, and locks up with the emperor of evil again. The action is fast and furious, as attacks, blocks, and counter-attacks are exchanged. In a battle of skill verses pure hatred, the forces of light and dark move across the battlefield like banshees. The movement speeds up, faster and faster, too fast for the human eye to track. The other Ranger get to their feet and watch in total amazement at the untested teenager going toe to toe with Satan himself. Then, just as quickly, it's over. Alaine twists in midair, slashing Zedd across the chest, knocking him to the ground. The Rangers rapidly gather behind Alaine, and they pull out their blasters.

"Alright, guys, let's bring 'em together!"

"Power Bow!"

"Astro Blaster! Star Slinger!"

"Quasar Launcher!"

"Crystal Saber! White Tiger Baton!"

"Thunder Blade!"

"Nova Rifle!"

"Laser Lamp!"

"Drive Defender! Delta Blasters!"

"Nitro Blaster! Rocket Blaster!"

"Blade Blaster! Dragon Dagger!"

What comes out can only be called a monstrous crossbow. It takes six of the Rangers to heft it, including Alaine. Zedd slowly gets to his feet, and finds himself in its sights.

"FIRE!"

"Oh, I don't think so!"

The multicolor laser collides dead center with Zedd's chest, creating a giant fireball, engulfing everything in a 20 foot radius. A smoking crater appears where Zedd was standing. The Rangers stare in silent amazement at what just happened. Lord Zedd, the greatest source of evil in the world, has finally been killed. Their revelry turns to horror as a column of smoke reveals a 400 foot Zedd.

"MWAHAHAHAHA! You can't rid of me that easily!"

Instinctively, Tommy leaps to the top of a nearby skyscraper. He turns to the nearby Angel Grove harbor.

"Alright, bud, one more time!"

He puts his Dagger to his lips and plays an old familiar tune. The notes echo over the city, drawing everyone's attention. It's a wonderful moment as they stop what they're doing and look. The melody continues to spread, reaching the very depths of the harbor. The water churns and boils. The waves become bigger and bigger. A loud rumbling travels through the city as a large mass moves through the water. Reaching the shore, a large mechanical beast rises up out of the water. The Dragonzord has come back to Angel Grove. It works its way inland, leaving footprints in the ground. Finally, it reaches the Park, where Zedd prepares for a final showdown. Tommy leaps into the cockpit.

"Time to finish this, Zedd!"

The two iconic legends of the classic Power Rangers era lock up and begin hammering away at each other. Blow for blow, the combatants are even in skill. Whatever the Dragonzord lacks in mobility, it makes up for in sheer power. The Zord is able to get in a few good hits, but Zedd get a lot more. Soon, the Zord is rocking and reeling from all the blows, and gets knocked over. Zedd sends a flurry of lightning at the stricken Zord. However, Tommy manages to make it roll out of the way in time. When it gets back to his feet, Tommy notices a new panel.

"What is this? Alpha?"

"Try it! It's a new laser weapon!"

"Got it. I'M FIRING MY LAZER!"

The spines of the Dragonzord's back light up. A red ball of energy appears in its mouth. Seconds later, a giant red laser lances out, and strikes Zedd right in his chest. He gets blasted back and collides with a skyscraper, which collapses on top of him. A cheer goes up from the Rangers and all the citizens. The various Dragonzord's panels show red.

"Everything's overheated!"

Then. The rubble starts to move. An arm erupts from it. Then Zedd slowly stands up. His body is charred, broken, and bloody. He slowly walks over to the stationary Zord. Smoke streams from various points.

"You...You think it would be that easy! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!"

He delivers vicious punches. The Zord goes down hard, with armor missing in a lot of places. Wires hang exposed, and sparks flow freely. Zedd goes in for the killing blow. However, there's a bright flash of light, and Zedd gets bowled over by a giant mechanical tyrannosaurus rex.

"Eric!"

"Told you I'd be back. Just in time too."

"You couldn't have cut it any closer."

"Sorry."

Zedd gets to his feet, and takes note of the threat. He charges in, and locks up with the new zord. In the power chamber, Alpha taps away furiously at the control panels.

"The computer is calculating a 73 percent chance of success."

"I will take those odds. Being the download."

In the respective cockpits, Eric and Tommy see blueprints flash across their screens.

"Alpha?"

"According to what I found, your zords can combine to form a new configuration."

"Got it."

In Tommy's point of view, The Rex begins to take a beating.

"How am I- That's it! Powering up the crystal!

Tommy pulls out his power coin. He rubs his hand over it, and stretches it into a crystal.

"Two-one-Power up!"

He jams the crystal into an empty slot on the control panel. Everything light up.

"Everything shows green across the board!"

He manages to manhandle the Dragonzord back to a standing position.

"Easy...easy..."

He slowly walks the zord back into battle. By now the Rex is taking a serious beating.

"Light as a feather, light as a feather!"

The Dragonzord hooks Zedd's arms from behind, leaving him open to an assault.

"Hey! What the- AHHHH!"

The Rex gets in a few good shots before Dragon tosses Zedd aside.

"Eric. Combine your zord with mine. Then we'll be able to take him down.''

"Got it. QUANTASUARUS REX!"

"DRAGONZORD!''

"**COMBINE! QUANTUM FORCE DRAGONZORD!"**

The Q-Rex unfolds and flies apart. Its various pieces attach to the Dragonzord like armor. Its lasers attach to the Dragonzord's shoulders, and its fist missile launcher become the Dragon's fist missile launcher. Its head separates into two pieces, forming around the Dragonzord's head. Anything else is worn as simple armor. By now, Zedd has seen what he's up against.

"All systems are green across the board."

"Drive systems are hot, all weapons online."

"You and your zords are no match for me!"

This time, the beatings go one way, as Zedd begins to realize that ultimate victory has slipped from his grasp. Not willing to back down, his fires another volley of lightning and fire from his staff to no avail. Its either shrugged off, deflected, or misses. In desperation he closes again.

"Here he comes again!"

"Let's not give him a chance."

The megazord grapples with Zedd, and tosses him away like a children's toy. Inside, Tommy preps the Dragon laser once again.

"Please! I'm beaten! Have mercy!"

"When you get to Hell...tell them Tommy sent you!"

"NO!"

This time the laser connects. But not before Zedd reveals the trick up his sleeve. He stabs his staff into the ground, creating a giant shield around him. It absorbs the blast, and its not too long before the shield begins to strain and crack. Inside the megazord, several panels flash red.

"Everything's overheating!"

"We almost got him! Keep firing!"

The shield breaks, and the laser creates a massive explosion. All the buildings in the immediate vicinity are wiped out, and the rest suffer structural damage. Anything not the immediate vicinity has its windows blown out. Zedd's staff falls from the sky, and lands in the brand new crater. It turns to dust, and floats away on the wind. The Megazord appears heroic, with the sun shining behind it. A couple days later, there's a night time concert in Angel Grove park. The band performs a rockin' version of the classic Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers theme song. A bunch of kids, and adults, wear various Power Rangers costumes. The kids run around with lightsabers and other toy weaponry. During the climatic solo, a bunch of putties run out on stage and terrorize the band. Seconds later, they're followed by stuntmen in the original Power Ranger costumes. They fight off the putties, and the crowd goes ballistic. The real Power Rangers sit near the back, and have a good time. Alaine, who's wearing her own complimentary communicator, sits between her parents, thoroughly enjoying the experience. The other Rangers wear big smiles, and laugh at the sheer antics.

"What do you think, Kim? That look pretty real?"

"I think our choreography was a little better."

As the song comes to a close, an intense fireworks display goes off.

END OF PART 1.


	7. Chapter 7: Final Note

I hope you enjoyed "Power Rangers: One Morph!" I certainly had a fun time writing it, and had no idea I would become as popular as it is! So my sincerest thank you to every single on of you for making it possible!

Just so you know, I'm working on a new Power Rangers fanfic.

It's called "All That Is Gold" starring the original gold ranger: Jason Lee Scott!

I hope you enjoy it.


	8. AUTHOR NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** If you enjoyed this Power Rangers fanfic, don't forget to check out One Morph parts 2 and 3.


End file.
